The Winding Red Thread: A Reylo Story
by DeltaMuRho315
Summary: Immediately following the events of The Last Jedi, Rey is determined to press forward with her Jedi training. But despite her best efforts, she is unable to shut out the lingering thoughts and feelings surrounding what transpired between herself and Kylo Ren. #reylo #rey #bensolo
1. Chapter 1

"We have everything we need."

The general had a way of facing the darkest moments with sure-footed grace. Perhaps it was merely the product of her lineage— born of an awesome and fearsome mythos, proclaimed in song and whispered amongst starry-eyed children in all corners of the galaxy— which allowed her to gaze into a sea of darkness and uncover a glimmer of light. It wouldn't be so far fetched a presumption. Even the general's twin brother had bet the entire fate of the galaxy on it not so long ago.

But no, that explanation, however convenient, was far too inadequate— perhaps even bordering on a slight— to capture the true depth of her capacity to harbor hope. For Rey sensed that this richness in the general's character was not merely a product of heritage or chance, it was a matter of choice; a commitment to the idea that to put one's hope in any undertaking was ultimately to invest in it. Like a whispering wind over a rippling pond, just enough to shift the crests and troughs on the waves of fate.

"Your lightsaber!" Leia's gaze had fallen to the completely severed weapon lying in Rey's lap. The mere mention of the fractured item was all it took. She hastened to avert her eyes from the general.

In an instant, fragmented memories shot through her mind, unhinged as comets streaking through a midnight sky. Snoke's once pristine throne room had been gutted into nothing but chaos and ash. One red-cloaked enemy after another had danced in a whirl of treacherous crimson until only the fire remained, blazing in festering swarths of heat as the maimed, mangled corpses clung lifelessly to the floor.

And _him_.

The desperation of his expression in that moment had burned into her with a ferocity that seared like a white-hot brand across her bare flesh. He had pleaded for her, reached for her, vulnerable and exposed. She struggled to suppress the rush of emotions which threatened to suffocate her like a tightly clenched fist cupped around her trembling throat.

"Oh...Yes. I intend to try and fix it," she mumbled clumsily in reply. She'd hoped to convey a collected, composed demeanor, but she sensed that her response had sounded more like a deflection than an assurance.

The general was surveying her closely now, searching for something in Rey's countenance that would give her a glimpse into the young woman's true sentiments. For Rey, the general's eyes made for an eerily familiar stare.

"Well, I'm sure you can." No doubt General Leia had noted Rey's patent unease, but to the flustered scavenger's relief, her superior graciously steered the conversation away from the source of her discomfort.

"Understand, Rey," Leia continued in a serious tone, "the path that lies ahead is not an easy one."

Rey nodded politely. But in truth, she judged the assertion to be categorically understated. The Resistance was no larger than those aboard The Millennium Falcon. More to the point, there was nothing left of the New Republic. Setting aside the obvious issue of a lack of funding for securing weapons of defense, for whom did The Resistance now even fight? There was no governing body for it to protect or defend.

"Rey…" the general's whisper cracked with a hint of desperation, "I promise you that there is still a way." She placed a gentle hand on Rey's arm, tightening her grip as if to begin an earnest appeal, "but what I ask of you— all of you— will take a great deal of faith."

"General Leia, I cannot think of another person in the whole galaxy in whom The Resistance would now more willingly place its trust." She returned the general's entreaty with a reassuring smile. Although she certainly harbored concerns about the means of accomplishing their goal, or even discerning precisely what that goal now entailed in so grim a circumstance, she had not the slightest shadow of a doubt in the intentions and capability of the woman who was prepared to lead them through it.

The general appeared satisfied for the moment. "Thank you, Rey." She rose from her seat and made her way through the bustle of all that remained of The Resistance.

The Jedi novice surveyed the scene that was abuzz all around her. Undoubtedly, their meager band of fighters looked a weary and battered crew, but despite barely making off with their lives, the sentiment aboard their escape vessel was not one of despair or fatigue, but rather of hopeful anticipation. Her companions dwelt not on what they had lost or what they had endured, but on the challenges that lie before them. The realization of the strength and resilience of her friends evoked a warmth within her that she hadn't felt since…

No.

She was determined not to dwell on that. After all, she had literally closed the door on it, and she was resolved to let it fall away. He had urged her to let the past die. How apt. Undoubtedly, it wasn't the interpretation he'd had in mind. But she would gladly leave that entire misguided entanglement in the past.

 _Kill it if you have to._

She needed a distraction. Sitting idly wouldn't be conducive to offering her the solutions she required. Her eyes fell to the drawer where she'd tucked away the ancient texts. In an instant, her heart sank as the implications of the situation grew more apparent. Master Luke was gone. All that remained of the Jedi Order had been hastily stashed away in a cubby on a damaged, decades old ship. The task of cultivating the light for the good of the galaxy fell solely to her now, a responsibility— though humbling— which felt overwhelming and beyond the scope of her knowledge and skills.

Finn lingered near the drawer she had been eyeing. He hadn't left the injured young woman's side since they'd come aboard. Rey couldn't help but admire her dear friend's compassionate heart. She approached him tenderly, letting her palm graze his shoulder in solidarity for a moment. He gave a half smile as he caught her eye, but quickly reverted his stare back to the girl's bleeding, unconscious form.

Rey opened the cubby just enough to fumble blindly for the nearest book, shoving the dual pieces of her lightsaber into the compartment for temporary safe keeping. She tucked the text under her arm and made for the gunman's well. There wouldn't be too many secluded places to read quietly on the overcrowded Falcon, but the gunner's seat would be a likely place to find a minute to herself at present.

It was only after she'd settled into the chair that she had a moment to survey the book she'd extracted. She'd serendipitously pulled out precisely the same one Luke had picked up as he stood with her inside the gnarled tree on Ahch-To, fingering the Jedi emblem that graced the inside cover. She placed an eager index finger behind the ear of the first page.

From the walkway behind her, a startling commotion of beeps and squeaks erupted in a frantic, incoherent whir. She recognized the sound immediately: Luke's little droid, the R2 unit. At her distance, however, she couldn't quite make out what seemed to have caused it such alarm. Rey carefully placed the book in the elastic of her pants and quietly crept from the chair toward the corner of the small compartment. She caught a brief glimpse of shimmering, metallic gold as she ducked into the corner. Another familiar voice rejoined the cacophony of resonating beeps.

"R2-D2! Keep your voice down! It is not our place to question the judgement of the princess!" Rey was only moderately acquainted with C-3PO, but the rigid nature of his voice was unmistakable.

This time, she was just close enough to catch the hurried ramblings of the anxious little droid. By his account, wherever it was that the general had instructed Chewbacca to direct the Falcon, it was so dangerous that it bordered on an act of madness. She popped her head out of the gunman's well just in time to catch the eye of an unsuspecting C-3PO, startled at the presence of an eavesdropper. Her limited interaction with the golden protocol droid was sufficient to convince her that there would be no coaxing the elusive information out of him. R2, however, seemed to play by different rules.

"Hey, friend," she shot him an amicable smirk. "Where are we heading?"


	2. Chapter 2

Rey dabbed at the dribble of vomit that clung obstinately to the corner of her bottom lip. She stumbled toward the sink in her nauseated state, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she splashed the cool water against her paling cheeks. It had only been three days since she and her companions had come out of lightspeed and first beheld the planet. But for Rey, the passing days had felt like weeks. From the moment they'd entered into the planet's orbit, she'd sensed the overwhelming darkness that emanated from the molten, rocky orb. Its aura was altogether intoxicating, as if she were living moment to moment with her head caught in a tiger's mouth, desperate for the creature to keep from slamming shut its jaws. It had rattled her senses to the point of physical illness.

Her companions, at least, were handling the ominous surroundings better than she, although not without consequence. Neither their resolve nor their faith in the general had waned, but the palpable sense of courage that had filled the Falcon with a contagious, unexpected optimism had shattered under the weight of their foreboding hideaway.

Leia had not been overly dramatic in asserting the degree of trust or difficulty involved in shuffling the meager remains of the rebellion off to its current locale. The mention of Mustafar was met with a shudder among even the more politically indifferent citizens of the galaxy. For the rebels, who were wholly more invested in the lore surrounding the legends of the Empire, it was more than just a cringe-worthy planet; it was akin to the very seat of darkness. But the faith of the party in the prudence and passion of the general was such that none spoke a word to her in protest.

In truth, the abandoned castle made for the most paradoxical safe haven imaginable. A vile, grotesque history seemed to permeate its odious walls like a fog hovering over a murky swamp. And yet, there was an irrefutable logic to the general's insistence that they seek harbor in the halls of her infamous father's former stronghold. Despite standing for decades without its Sith master, it remained well armed and fortified. The bowels of the fortress, though rife with the stench of violence and despair, were stocked to the brim with weapons fit not only for defense, but for siege as well. Its communications systems were likewise intact. But Rey sensed too that there was something else; some other element that attracted the general to this particular spot…

 _Rey._

Somehow, though she could scarcely claim to know when, his voice had become as familiar to her ear as her own. It rang out behind her now with the dreamy resonance of a brass bell, deep and lingering, yet gentle and invigorating as a cool zephyr. She clenched her fists until she felt her fingernails threaten to pierce her calloused palms. This was the second time since arriving at Mustafar that he had come to her. She met him the same way she had the time before, the same way that she had resolved to do every time forever, should the Force bond continue to thrust them together in this way: back turned, eyes closed, and relentlessly silent.

He called to her again; she concentrated on relaxing her face into the very picture of casual indifference. He must have stood within inches of her now because she could feel the warmth of his breath grazing the exposed skin of her alabaster neck. The familiar scent of him clawed at her senses: a subtle fusion of salt and musk and iron.

 _Rey._

No, no, no. Absolutely not. She'd be damned if she would give him the satisfaction of even the barest acknowledgement. She refused to so much as breathe in response now. Though it had not escaped her notice— had it eluded him?— that as wisps of his breath caressed her skin, she was powerless to keep rogue patches of fine hairs on her arms from standing fully erect.

She remained frozen in this state until she sensed that the connection had finally subsided. Cautiously opening her eyes once more, she thought for a moment that she'd caught a fleeting glimpse of his countenance reflected in the mirror before her; as ephemeral as the green flash of light that kissed the skies of a Jakku sunset.

Yes. She simply must have seen him for a brief moment before the connection dissipated. She had to believe that. Otherwise it only stood to reason that some part of her had merely _wished_ to see him there, and that was a reality she was entirely unwilling to validate.

She turned her gaze to the pile of antiquated books in the corner of her chambers. She absolutely had to read the pilfered pages more voraciously. Surely there was something in there that could help her to shut down this twisted bond that the two of them were forced to share. Likewise, it had occurred to her after their first meeting that his power may be all the more poignant as long as she struggled to remain at ease in this dreadful place—this foothold of darkness.

The extended spell of uncompromising nausea had kept her largely confined to her room. Not only was excessive solitude unwelcome for a young woman who'd spent too much of her life in isolation, but she was keenly aware that the Force bond had a tendency to take hold when she found herself alone. It would be necessary for her to venture out more often in spite of the ailments that nagged at her if she wanted to avoid a surplus of additional encounters.

She made her way down the corridor toward the grand hall where the bulk of the remaining survivors were scattered about the room, absorbed in various tasks and chatting amicably as they went about their business. Just the sight of it was enough to lift her troubled spirits a bit. She even heard a chuckle or two amongst the murmur of voices; it boggled her mind that laughter could exist in a place so haunted by dark shadows of the past, but it was a comfort all the same. A friendly face caught her eye as she entered the room.

"Rey!" Finn gave her a warm smile and motioned her over to where he sat.

Whereas Rey had spent days struggling to combat the gloom of her surroundings, Finn looked almost completely unfazed. In stark contrast with the unsavory aura of the castle, Finn's spirit seemed to glow. Though a spark of concern overtook his face as Rey drew nearer to him.

"How are you doing, friend?" He inquired with a quick hug.

"Hanging in there, I suppose." It was, by and large, an honest answer. After all, it was important to keep her struggles in perspective. Many of the others in her party had endured much worse in recent days.

"I have good news!" His voice was peppered with the unmistakable lilt of delight. "Rose woke up! She's not off of bed rest yet, of course. But they think she's going to be okay!"

"I'm so glad," she replied with a soft smile. Any positive report was more than welcome under the given circumstances. And she noted that this snippet of information was a point of particular interest for her dear friend. She had ample questions about the nature of Finn's attachment to his new companion, but she ultimately thought it best not to pry.

A somewhat more somber look befell him as he continued. "General Leia has been asking for you."

Rey paused, surveying him for a moment before she began. "Something serious?"

"She didn't specify, but I would imagine so," Finn shrugged. "Honestly, what isn't serious in this place?" he added flatly. "I spent most of my life surrounded by the sights and sounds of the First Order. For the most part, I'm used to places like this. I can deal with it all right. But this is really on a whole other level."

Rey suppressed a shudder that threatened to sneak up her spine. Finn must have observed her discomfort.

"But I wouldn't worry, Rey." His assurances were noticeably forced, but it was enough of an effort to deflate her anxiousness for the moment.

She met his gesture with a half-hearted smile, returning to the matter at hand. "Where can I find her?"


	3. Chapter 3

Rey grabbed the railing of the lift, steadying herself as she descended into the planet's rocky core. If the oppressive darkness of Mustafar had beared down upon her before, the sensation had only intensified as she drew nearer to its center. She and the general had spoken not a word between them since they'd boarded the elevator. For Rey, it was a challenge simply to keep from surrendering to the fit of nausea that constantly threatened to overtake her. Meanwhile, the general kept her stare focused straight ahead, solemn and unperturbed by their ominous surroundings.

Hours before, when Leia had revealed her intentions to Rey, she had balked at her superior's suggestion. "General," she'd insisted respectfully, "I can barely keep myself on my feet while standing on the planet's surface. I fear I'd break if I tried to delve even deeper into— "

"Rey," Leia interrupted her gently enough, but with a hint of impatience. Although she was a collected, professional woman, it was clear that had she been any less refined, she'd likely have returned the girl's protests with an exaggerated eye roll. "You're expending all of your energy trying to push the darkness away. You're trying to snuff it out like a plague."

Rey was taken aback. "Well, what are you suggesting? That I welcome it in? That I let it run rampant within me?"

Master Luke had offered her only a paltry few lessons, but one thing he had been very clear about was the importance of shutting out the dark and resisting its siren call at all costs. She had refused to heed his admonitions before, and the price of her insolence had nearly been her life.

The general took a step toward her young companion, her voice composed and thick with deliberate purpose. "I'm not asking you to surrender to it, Rey," she heaved a heavy sigh before continuing. "Luke and I both felt a strong connection to the Force, but we each ultimately chose to embrace that gift by walking different paths. He became a Jedi and I..." she hesitated a moment, fixing her eyes firmly on Rey's captivated stare. "I chose to wield the Force at times when a dire need demanded it."

There was something cryptic in the general's tone. Rey shot her a quizzical look, wordlessly urging her to elaborate.

"The truth is," she continued at length, "in many ways, you remind me of my son."

The words crashed into Rey with the savagery of an iron mallet against a tenuous house of cards. She wanted to be angry, to protest the bitter notion in a frenzy of unrestrained objection until she'd sucked the venom out of the biting accusation. But there was no denying the reality of the general's assertion. Rey had long recognized their mutual similarities, though she had refused to acknowledge them fully, burying her feelings deep within the chasms of her mind. The truth cut at her like the edge of a newly sharpened shiv.

"I...I once thought as my brother did," Leia stumbled slightly over her words, struggling to keep her composure. "I thought that the best way to keep…" her voice rebelled against her in stubborn defiance with an audible crack, "...keep Ben from succumbing to the pull of the darkness was to drown it out in light." She winced. "But I was wrong. We both were."

"General Leia," Rey began, "you cannot hold yourself accountable for what Ben did. You…"

"I don't. I don't hold Luke responsible either."

"Then what—? "

"My son made his choices, yes," she insisted firmly. "And for him, it appears what's done is done. But in all experiences, we ought to take a piece of wisdom away to apply to future trials." She hesitated a moment, centering herself before adding, "It was only after I lost Ben that I realized the truth about the Dark side of the Force…"

Rey felt a shudder slither up her spine. A part of her— one that she was more content to conceal under a comfortable blanket of denial— already knew what the general was implying.

"It's always going to be there, Rey."

The words lingered in the air between them for a moment. Often, simply acknowledging a disturbing truth had a way of undermining some of its power, but somehow the realization became all the more potent as Leia breathed it into life.

"I believed, as Luke did, that the darkness was something we had to strive to annihilate. What I didn't come to appreciate until it was too late for my son, is that the darkness is the eternal complement to the Light of the Force. You're not supposed to spend a lifetime trying to purge the darkness from existence. That battle is futile."

"General!" the young scavenger gasped, stunned at the princess's words. This was the most hopeful, most unshakable woman in the galaxy. How could she of all people believe that the battle against the Dark side was an inherently lost cause?

"Just listen," her voice was a whisper as she reached for her young companion, placing a comforting hand on the girl's slumped shoulder. "The darkness isn't going anywhere. It's always going to be in us and around us. But our primary mission cannot be to demolish the darkness outright..."

Rey shifted anxiously as the gravitas of the general's words began to take root.

"...The real challenge is to learn to live _with_ the Dark side— to allow it to exist and even to thrive in its own right, but to temper it and moderate it."

The Jedi novice opened her mouth to protest, but Leia raised a gentle hand to still her as she continued, "The Force is among us always, but it does not _control_ us. And the Dark side is just as much a part of the Force as is the Light. We're not supposed to smother it, but neither are we meant to become it."

Rey raised a suspicious eyebrow, pondering the full implications of this revelation. "You've used it before, haven't you?"

"Yes," Leia responded matter-of-factly.

Rey returned her nonchalant admission with a scowl of disapproval. To her great surprise, the general let out a quick, good-humored laugh.

"Oh my, Rey!" she exclaimed through a chuckle. "I'd always wondered how Luke would respond if I ever told him my thoughts on this. Looking at your expression now, I no longer have to wonder!"

"Respectfully, General," she replied skeptically, "I don't think it's terribly funny."

"Well, Rey, my dear, that's because it isn't really," Leia affirmed with a resigned shrug. "It's difficult— _intensely_ difficult— trying to walk the balance between the dark and the light without letting the darkness consume you. It's much more difficult to practice balance and moderation than it is to forgo something entirely."

"Then why even subject yourself to the temptation?" she insisted, her register growing slightly shrill.

"Because walking in the midst of despair without surrendering to it isn't a new feat for me." A veneer of sadness enveloped the general's tone now.

"How do you mean?"

"Rey, when I was a young woman, I watched on helplessly as my home planet was obliterated in front of my eyes. Everyone I had ever loved, every beautiful memory I'd ever had, blasted into pieces and reduced to dust in an instant."

The young scavenger stared at her superior, a solemn, reverent silence washing over them as Rey contemplated the legendary woman's unparalleled hardships.

"Since then, I've lost the only man I'd ever truly loved, my twin brother, and even my son: my only child." Her voice had grown tense now, a paradox of strength and sorrow in duelling competition, yet woven together in a singular, tight-knit band. "With each loss, I've had to make the deliberate choice to cling unyieldingly to hope. I've had to work to choose light over darkness— a darkness that will never stop threatening to break me down. I've had to consciously make that choice every moment of every day. I've walked that balance, Rey. I know how to exist in the darkness and acknowledge its presence and power without letting it swallow me whole."

Her eyes narrowed in firm, unwavering resolve. "I messed things up with Ben. I didn't show him how to let the darkness be without being the darkness. But, Rey…"

She inched closer, her gaze so intense that it evoked a spark of equal parts awe and fear in her young confidant, "...I will be damned if I'll make the same mistake with you."


	4. Chapter 4

At the core of the planet, deep beneath Vader's former stronghold, lie a labyrinth of seemingly endless, winding tunnels. The walls were solid black as in the castle above, but whereas the interior of the fortress shined in a sleek, glossy state, the tunnels in the bowels of Mustafar were noticeably more jagged and unpolished in their construction. Positioned sporadically along the path, Rey noted a handful of thick, iron doorways. She shuddered to think what hidden horrors lurked behind each one. Even on the remote planet of Jakku, Rey had heard unsettling tales of the caverns of Mustafar; where Jedi go to die. These were more akin to catacombs than caves.

She stopped for a moment to vomit along the side of the pathway, wiping her mouth haphazardly with the sleeve of her cloak before upping her pace to catch up to the general. It was the second time she'd had a fit of illness since stepping off the lift into the planet's core. Despite having mentally prepared herself for the intensity of the dark sensations in this detestable place, she still found herself overcome by nausea. She hadn't fainted from the sensation as yet however, and in perspective, she counted it as a small sort of accomplishment.

At length, the tunnel connected to a massive, circular room in the belly of the cave. The ceiling above them was vaulted, stretching upwards for what appeared to be well over a hundred feet. Looking around, Rey noted that over a dozen tunnels were adjoined at this focal point. It was clear that each of the tunnels converged in this one place.

The general unclasped a small, silver bracelet from her wrist and placed it on the ground at the opening of the tunnel from which they had just emerged, marking their return passage to the surface.

"Clever," Rey asserted with a nod of approval.

"Thank you, dear," the princess replied, adding drolly, "try not to get sick on it."

Normally, Rey would've chuckled, but her oppressive headache and low spirits kept any semblance of joy at bay.

Leia had moved on toward the center of the expanse. There were a number of miscellaneous objects strewn about the room: rows of bookshelves, ominous-looking weapons, a communications control center; and in the center of it all, a rectangular, ebony pedestal carved directly from the planet's core. An iron box was perched atop the stone pillar.

This was it. Since their arrival on Mustafar, Rey had sensed that General Leia had some other elusive purpose in mind when she'd elected to hide her small crew of Resistance fighters away on the most dreaded planet in the galaxy. Whatever the contents of the box, the objects within were valuable enough to the Resistance to merit subjecting her people to the darkness of the nefarious planet.

The general drew nearer and motioned for her young companion to follow suit. Leia placed her hand on the box, wiping a thick layer of dust away from the surface. Her eyes met Rey's in an unspoken apology.

"You're really not going to like this."

Carefully, she removed the lid and set it aside. A small, solitary object glowed a deep shade of red from within the iron cube. A moment ago, Rey was certain that she could not possibly have felt more intoxicated by the darkness than she had while wandering the planet's core.

She had been egregiously mistaken.

She steadied herself against the stone pillar, forcing herself to remain on her feet despite the vertigo that threatened to seize control of her senses.

"What is that thing?" Rey choked out her query in disgust.

"It's a kyber crystal," explained the general. "But it's been bled."

"Bled?"

"Kyber crystals are necessary for any functioning lightsaber. The crystals themselves are bound to the light side of the Force when they're formed in nature. Dark Force-wielders can only seize control of them by bending them to their will. The process morphs the crystal into the fiery shade of red you see here."

Rey shuddered as her mind returned to the conversation she'd had with the general aboard the Falcon.

"General Leia," she began with a desperate plea, "there's no way. I can barely stand the…"

"I know," the princess interrupted her, but her tone was far more contrite than impatient. "One cannot lead effectively without taking deliberate pause for self-reflection and introspection. And whenever I've forced myself to take a step back and evaluate the decisions I've had to make since Luke died, they've seemed so far beyond what I should be asking from any of you."

Although Rey felt the darkness pressing down like a pallet of bricks against her chest, the humility and wisdom of the general's character made the burden a trifle easier to bear.

"And yet," she continued, fixing her gaze on the girl, "when I consider the severity of our circumstances, these actions, though arguably foolhardy, are the best options we have. This place..." she motioned about the room, cocking her head to one side as her eyes scrutinized her surroundings, "...my father used it for decades to choke the light out of the galaxy." Her lips puckered, bitter with shame.

"But I believe that in the right hands, they can help us to salvage the light and help it to shine more brilliantly than ever."

Leia turned her attention once again to the crimson crystal. "You have to heal it, Rey."

"Heal it?

"Your lightsaber is in pieces. You require a new kyber crystal for your weapon."

"Yes," Rey affimed quickly, "but wouldn't it be wiser to simply collect a crystal that _hadn't_ already been bled?"

Leia shook her head. "The First Order will have scouts and stations at kyber crystal locations all across the galaxy to power their weaponry. We can't risk exposing ourselves before we've even begun to recover. And traveling to the Unknown Regions to Ilum's kyber mines simply isn't an option. We cannot abandon the galaxy at a time like this."

Rey's heart sank. It was a struggle even to remain standing in the presence of the corrupted crystal. How was she supposed to find a way to heal it when she couldn't even heal herself?

"Bleeding a kyber crystal nearly drove my father insane once," Leia continued. "Being the prideful man that he was, he insisted on doing it yet again to prove that the process hadn't gotten the better of him. The first crystal powered his lightsaber. But this one he kept as a prize: a testament to his power over an innately Light-willed entity."

Rey nodded, comprehending her superior's implications, "And so we take what was intended for darkness and use it to shine the Light."

The general responded with a soft smile. "Precisely."

"But how do I even go about healing a kyber crystal?"

To the young woman's surprise— and chagrin— Leia returned her inquiry with an apologetic shrug. "I haven't the slightest idea."

Rey stared back in a state of speechless bewilderment.

"I'm not a Jedi, Rey," the general reminded her at length. "I can't train you like that. I don't have those answers."

"But you're one of the most Force-sensitive people in the galaxy!" Rey argued, her voice trembling, pleading with her mentor not to leave her to this task alone. "For heaven's sake! You were blasted into the vacuum of space and survived!"

"And I promise to tell you _everything_ I know," Leia assured her with a whisper, pulling her young friend in with a compassionate embrace. "I will be a support and guide for you in any way that I can. But I can only offer you insight based on my own experiences; I can't show you the ways of the Jedi. "

Rey bit her lip, checking her emotions like a dam that served as the only barrier between solid ground and a torrent of churning, tumultuous water. Her first official act as Jedi-to-be entailed reversing the work of the most notorious Sith lord who'd ever lived. How was she supposed to step into her role as the last Jedi without a seasoned, veteran master to show her the way?

"I will walk with you every step of this journey." Leia loosened her grip on her troubled companion, taking her face in her hands and surveying her with a maternal warmth that almost— _almost_ — chipped away at the sharp edges of the darkness.

The girl forced a slight smile, no less discouraged, but all the more appreciative of the general's boundless compassion. Rey took a moment to fully collect herself, returning her stare to the small, ruby rock.

She was ready.

General Leia met the young scavenger's eyes with a knowing look and reached into the iron box, delicately palming the fragile crystal. She gripped it gently; a crimson aura enveloping her clenched fist. Rey swallowed hard as she reached out her quivering hand, bracing to receive the trinket. Leia placed it into the girl's outstretched hand.

She felt the dam give way the moment she clutched the crystal. Leia's face smeared into a blur before her eyes, the already dim lighting of the cavern waned around her. Every sound fading into a vortex of silence, every image melting into pitch. Her body grew limp as her feet faltered beneath her.

Yet in the same instant, amid the chaos of swirling colors blotted into darkness and sounds swept into silence, a single, sharp figure towered in the foreground, grounded and clear.

 _Him_.

His eyes were soft and focused, marred by fear and regret, betrayal and pain. He peered directly into her as if she were a riddle whose answer would forever elude him. And his voice: rich and intense and fiery with a yearning that— had it been tangible— would have branded her.

 _Rey…_

 _Rey….please..._


	5. Chapter 5

Rey stirred in the bed as her eyes blinked open. Her head was throbbing just above her right ear. Reflexively, her fingers grazed the source of her discomfort, brushing against a sterile bandage affixed to her aching lump.

Surveying the room, it was readily apparent that the medical ward of Darth Vader's fortress had been assiduously well-stocked in its prime. Previously, Rey hadn't stopped to ponder the quality of the castle's medical accommodations, but it became clear that this was yet another advantage of choosing Mustafar as a hideaway, despite its odious reputation. It stood to reason, really. Vader had spent most of his life as the second most powerful person in the galaxy. Add to that his own lifelong dependency on the best medical technology of the day to sustain his crippled body. Of course he would have had access to a plethora of top-tier medicinal tools, serums, and technologies.

"Oh! You're awake!" A cheerful, sing-songy voice interrupted Rey's musings. "Finn will be so glad. He's been worried about you!"

Rey instinctively turned her head in the direction of the sound, but the quick jolt of movement gave her a slight dizzy feeling.

"Easy does it...You ok?"

Rey nodded carefully in reply, immediately recognizing the speaker's familiar face. She was lying in another bed on the far side of the room, a warm smile blanketing her lips. She looked a great deal recovered since the last time Rey had seen her on The Falcon.

"I'm Rose," she chirped in a light, amicable tone.

"Rey."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"

Rey had made several new acquaintances since leaving Jakku, but none nearly so unreservedly friendly and welcoming. She liked Rose instantly. She opened her mouth to return Rose's courteous greeting in kind, but the young woman had already begun to pipe up again.

"Leia rushed you up here after you passed out. She was obviously shaken."

In an instant, everything came flooding back to her: the crystal, the darkness...and _him_.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Just a few hours. From what the general told us, you hit your head pretty hard."

Rey blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed to have fainted merely from touching a crystal that the general had picked up without so much as batting an eye. Some Jedi she was shaping up to be.

"You're very brave, you know," Rose's expression had turned from warmth to admiration now. "Healing a bled kyber crystal is possible, but it's no easy feat. Not one of us could even think of trying to…"

"No," Rey insisted in heartfelt sincerity. " _You_ are brave."

Rose stared back at her quizzically, as if oblivious to what great act of heroism she could've accomplished.

"I heard what you did for Finn on Crait. That took real courage."

Rose gave a shy smile, humbly shrugging off the accolades, "It's what anyone would've done for a friend."

A knock came at the door as a tall, slim-figured brunette entered the room. Dr. Dyne was acting Head Medic in the absence of Resistance leadership. She, like several other new officers, had been swiftly promoted after the loss of so many of their original crew.

"Hi, Rey," she greeted her patient graciously, but there was more professionalism than familiarity in her manner. "So glad you're feeling better."

Dr. Dyne made straight for Rose's bedside, helping the young woman find her feet. "Time for your exercises!"

Rose smiled, obviously glad to be able to leave the room for a bit and resume using her legs again. She tossed an arm around the doctor's neck and rose to a standing position, a bit wobbly, but showing no signs of pain or discomfort.

Dyne glanced toward Rey as she helped escort Rose out of the room. "I'll notify General Leia that you're awake. She wanted to speak with you as soon as you were able. After that, you're fine to leave! Just pop by again tomorrow some time so I can follow up with you and get that bandage changed."

A short while later, Leia appeared in the doorway. She hastened to Rey's bed, seating herself at the foot of the mattress.

"How are you?" Leia took hold of Rey's hand with a tight but comforting grip.

"I'm fine."

For the first time since arriving on Mustafar, Rey realized that she wasn't even stretching the truth about her status. Although her head was still fiercely sore at the site of the tender lump above her right temple, she hadn't noticed until now that her spirits, dampened and in a murky fog since she'd arrived, were noticeably more at ease. Admittedly, she was a far cry from content and she still felt as though a dismal cloud loomed over her, but the nausea which had incessantly plagued her had dissipated.

"I'm so sorry, Rey. I asked for too much too quickly from you. It was a mistake and I shouldn't…"

"No!"

She flushed briefly as the interjection flew from her lips, fearing she had taken on a more impertinent tone than intended. The fact was, she was feeling more emotionally in control than she had in over a week. Whether it was a direct result of her interaction with the kyber crystal or simply that she was (by contrast) faring better on the planet's surface after visiting its core, she could not be sure. In either case, she was feeling more herself than she had in far too long, and she was eager to follow that sensation wherever it led.

"I don't want to quit trying. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I finally feel a lot less…" her mind fumbled for the right word.

"I can tell." Leia saved her from having to qualify the elusive sensation. "And I'm inclined to let you proceed if you really feel you're prepared to begin again, but…" her brows furrowed a bit, tinting her expression in a mist of austerity and puzzlement. "The moment when you touched the crystal…"

Rey already knew where this was heading. On Ahch-To, she hadn't confided in Luke about the Force bond, and she wasn't keen to reveal it to Leia now. She didn't know why. She told herself that she simply didn't want to confess something akin to weakness to her superiors. Having _him_ as a constant shadow seemed like an undesirable liability; but there was another reason why she kept that piece of herself concealed. And she was far more content to keep from facing it, nonetheless to expose it to another.

"What happened exactly?" General Leia was scrutinizing her now, reading her movements intently.

"Everything just seemed to fade away." The truth seemed the best defense; or at least as close to the truth as she was willing to offer. "Every image, every color, every sound...like I was standing in an empty void."

Leia nodded. She appeared to accept the girl's reply for the moment.

"And...was there anything else?" she probed.

"No. Nothing else."

Damn it. She had never been an adept liar, but as soon as the words tumbled off her lips, she knew her act had made for a particularly poor performance. Rey also knew that the general had absolutely sensed it. She suppressed a nervous gulp, an uncomfortable silence looming between them.

Finally, the general's voice pierced the uneasy quiet like a jagged stone meeting a cathedral window. "All right..."

Her tone was steady. And although there was no skepticism wound up in her manner, Rey knew that her superior was simply choosing to let it lie...for the moment, at least.

"The kyber crystal is with BB-8. I'll have the droid bring it to your chamber. But, Rey…"

Her expression was solemn now, her usual warmth nearly edged out by an uncompromising, immovable firmness, "I am leaving the crystal in the droid's possession. You may only work to heal it while the BB unit is present; never while alone or unsupervised. Is that understood?"

Rey nodded. She fully grasped the reason for Leia's insistence. After all, the general knew she was hiding something and was still willing to let her tinker with a dark Force kyber crystal. It was a wonder she was granting her any leeway at all.

Leia's eyes softened. She obviously still harbored her reservations, but it was clear that she wanted to leave her young friend on a happier note. "All right then. Whenever you're ready."


	6. Chapter 6

The days passed in a paradox of pleasantry and frustration. In the two weeks since her fainting spell, the dark sensation that had perpetually chipped away at her spirits was becoming drastically less effectual. Each day she felt lighter and more at peace. It had a circular effect too; with her ailment having largely subsided, she was able to spend more time in the company of her friends. Rose had been dismissed from the medical wing of the castle and mealtimes had become all the more pleasant since the addition of her new companion. Rey noticed that her smiles were far more frequent; once, she'd even caught herself joining Finn and Rose in a laugh. Moreover, she hadn't had one of her encounters with her unshakable Force connection shadow since the incident. She was beginning to wonder if perhaps, whatever Snoke had done to bind them together, could have somehow been undone through her exposure to the kyber crystal; it almost came as a relief to her...mostly.

Despite her personal progress, she was having significantly less success trying to restore the red kyber crystal. She had all but gobbled up the Jedi texts, searching for some insight into how to heal a bled crystal, but they were more theoretical texts than "how-to" manuals. All she'd learned was that the glow of the crystal, once successfully bent to the Light, would radiate a brilliant white in place of the deep crimson of its bled form.

Day after day, she spent hours toiling away in her room, Leia having been quite clear that she was only to work under the supervision of the droid above ground— away from the planet's center—lest the heightened darkness of the planet core have additional adverse effects on the girl. Rey likewise suspected that Leia, though not as adamantly opposed to allowing the dark side some leeway than Master Luke, wished to keep her on a tight leash. Restricting Rey to her room for the kyber healing would allow the girl ample privacy to work without confining her to total, unsupervised solitude and spending her days in a Locus of the Darkside. This could certainly be a potential recipe for temptation and disaster if left unchecked.

Rey tried everything she could think of. She pushed her mind to dwell on its most peaceful, most Light-inspired thoughts. She tried placing her gloved hand directly on the object and willing the Light within her to flood the tiny crystal. Each time, nothing. She scoured the pages of the Jedi texts time and again, searching for something— anything— that could give her some insight as to how to force the darkness out of the item. She'd even thought back to her few paltry lessons with Master Luke, reaching out as he'd instructed her, striving to pull the object back into the light and out of the darkness.

Nothing.

"I'm trying, BB-8!"

The droid beeped and buzzed in exasperated tones. Clearly she wasn't the only one growing weary of this daily struggle.

"I've tried everything I can think of!"

He spit out another cacophony of frustrated beeps and squeaks.

"Ok! I'll go through the texts _again!_ But I don't know what you think I'm going to find that I haven't already attempted." Rey grabbed at the topmost book on the heap of Jedi texts. She'd been through them all more than once.

Yet again, merely by chance, she'd snagged the book that Luke had first shown her as he questioned her on Ahch-To. He'd brushed his finger gingerly— even reverently— against the emblem on the cover of the text.

It was strange that twice she had fumbled for any one of the texts, and twice the same item— the one which he had handled most delicately— had found its way into her hands: The Journal of the Whills.

She seated herself on the floor of the room, placing the ancient book carefully before her. Removing her glove, she reached a hand directly out in front of her, letting it hover over the closed cover of the text. She closed her eyes and breathed deep; light flowed within her, around her, filling her and consuming her, driving out all manner of darkness. The pages whipped about below her hand, she felt the air rush against her fingertips as the pages turned, bending and swaying to the pull of the Force.

There.

She had read the words already, but she scanned them now with new eyes:

 _First comes the day_

 _Then comes the night._

 _After the darkness_

 _Shines through the light._

 _The difference, they say,_

 _Is only made right_

 _By the resolving of gray_

 _Through refined Jedi sight._

But what did it mean? Why was the Force pulling her to _this_ passage?

She gazed at the cover again. The emblem of the winged star was eerily familiar to her. She had seen it somewhere else. Somewhere that had troubled her...

The bookshelves!

She recalled the pit of Vader's lair. Among its many holdings stood a massive clutter of old books amid rows of shelves. She'd only skimmed the rows as she'd walked the expanse behind Leia, but the image of the winged star leapt out of the recesses of her memory.

"BB-8!" she sputtered in a frenzy of excitement. "What if I told you that we can be one step closer to _possibly_ completing our mission?"

The little droid clicked and whirred; he used only the happy beeps.

"But there's a catch...we have to go to the planet core."

His next round of beeps made it clear that he was decidedly less than amused.

"Please, BB-8! We've been at this for weeks! It's the first potential break through we've had since I began!"

He protested again.

"Well, we can keep trying the same approach we've been using, _or_ we can seek new information that may actually help us to heal this detestable red rock. So what's it going to be?"

As it turned out, the trek down the winding path through the planet's core was even less pleasant than on her initial venture. Although she had no urge to vomit and her senses were far less oppressed, she was more keenly aware of the innate creepiness of it all. She'd been more ill than spooked on her last visit and she was trying to conceal her discomfort from her small, AI companion.

Once they'd entered the center of the lair, Rey placed a small ribbon at the foot of the tunnel through which they'd traveled; she'd brought it specifically for this purpose, recalling the need to mark the tunnel for their return trip.

She skimmed the shelves again, searching for the emblem across the spine of the dusty binding of the books. It had to be on one of the foremost shelves. After all, she wouldn't have spotted it if it had been less visible.

"BB-8, can you help?" It would be much quicker to get the droid involved. He would be able to scan the shelves at a pace that only a computer could handle.

Sure enough, Rey needed only provide the general vicinity of the book's location for the little droid to quickly pinpoint it.

 _The Works of Leor Danal_

"BB-8," Rey turned to her companion once again. As useful as the Force had proven to be on several occasions, in some cases, an obliging droid could be just as helpful. "Scan your system for anything on Leor Danal."

The BB unit took only seconds to process her request. A recording, dated roughly around 400 BBY, began to play on the droid's audio files.

 _There must be both dark and light. I will do what I must to keep the balance, as the balance is what holds all life. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet peace; serenity, yet emotion; chaos, yet order. I am a wielder of the flame; a champion of balance. I am a guardian of life. I am a Gray Jedi._

"Gray Jedi?" Was there such a thing? She'd never heard of any such order.

She flipped open the book in haste. On the inside cover were penned the following words:

 _Flowing through all, there is balance_

 _There is no peace without a passion to create_

 _There is no passion without peace to guide_

 _Knowledge stagnates without the strength to act_

 _Power blinds without the serenity to see_

 _There is freedom in life_

 _There is purpose in death_

 _The Force is all things and I am the Force._

The book fell to the floor from the cradle of her hands. The words had pierced her spirit with the stinging ferocity of a thousand pointed needles. They sang to her as though she had known them forever, sweeping across her heart like a refreshing, redeeming breeze.

It all made perfect sense now. All this time, she had been struggling to force the darkness out of the little crystal, trying to cure it as if it were diseased. But the darkness that ate away at the crystal's life force was not an illness to be covered over with a bandage nor cut out like a tumor. She dropped to her knees as she began to weep, fiercely and uncontrollably. She had been trying to rub the darkness out entirely, not just from the kyber crystal, but from herself. She'd spent her first days on Mustafar feeling smothered by the darkness. And her response to that oppressive gloom had been to cover it in layer after layer of deflection and distraction rather than force herself to face her demons.

She let the dark shadows bubble to the surface now, simmering with anger, resentment, and sorrow. She was done burying it all under a shiny layer of false contentment. From her childhood, her parents had cast her out like nothing, abandoning her to a life of solitude on a lifeless wasteland. Master Luke, whom she was certain would help her navigate her strange power, refused to offer her anything beyond the insistence that she leave it be. Even among friends, she was alone. They could care for her and she for them, and they could share a laugh or a meal. But they would never _truly_ know the burden she'd been saddled with: the weight of the power that had chosen her.

She felt the darkness taking shape within her, rising up as if it had been only a dormant mass that was finally given leave to coalesce. She steadied herself, clinging to the words that had so touched her spirit:

 _The Force is all things and I am the Force._

She was not this darkness that was welling up within her, but neither was she the light which she had permitted to run rampant inside her for so long. She would surrender to neither. Her master was neither dark nor light, it was only the Force: gray and balanced.

She reached out a hand toward the droid, motioning for the crystal. The Force flowed through her like a stream of raw, unfettered power.

The kyber mass hovered in the air, glowing its deep crimson. But she did not push back against it. She gave it agency to hold on to the darkness, to acknowledge the presence of its damaged past and to allow it to be. But at the same time, she petitioned the crystal to also seek the Light, to feel the light within her, around her, and in its own animus. She centered all of her thoughts around welcoming the dark _and_ the light, urging the crystal to make room for both entities equally.

The next instant, the kyber flashed a blinding shade of white. Rey slammed her eyes shut, reflexively shielding her face with the palms of her hands. As the intensity of the light subsided, she carefully peeped out to examine the crystal.

But rather than the alabaster beams of light she had been promised in the Jedi texts, the kyber was gleaming in a brilliant, beautiful shade of silvery-gray.

She stared at the crystal in humble awe as it hovered above the ground, emanating its rich, silver aura. She stripped the precautionary glove from her fingertips, calling the crystal to her: slowly, eagerly.

It settled at last into her palm, warm and vibrating with—

" _REEYYYYYY!"_

The desperation of the cry shook her to her core. She had sworn to herself that she would never acknowledge _his_ pleas again; but this time was not like the others. This was altogether different. The brassy richness of his cadance, his soft, tender tones; there was no trace of them now. His voice was only a mangled scream of agony and torment.

" _Rey! PLEASE! Please help!"_

She bolted around to meet his cries, eyes locking onto his for a fleeting moment just as the Force bond severed. He was clutching his lower torso with both hands, blood streaming from his abdomen, his face a gnarled mess of caked blood, streaked with sweat and tears. A chill shot down her spine as the realization sank in: it was not Kylo Ren who called out to her now.

It was Ben Solo.


	7. Chapter 7

Rey was certain that her feet had never moved so swiftly. The only piece of her that raced with more celerity now was her heart, thudding in her chest to keep up with her breakneck pace. It was only when she reached the lift, forced to wait immobile on the moving platform, that her mind had a moment to catch up to her instincts.

Her feelings cried out to her first. The Force bond had revealed him to her, but there was another crucial element that she hadn't sensed in the frenzy of the moment; a feeling that was only now beginning to come to light.

He was not just in danger— he was _near!_

"Doesn't this damn thing move any faster?!" Rey let out a shout in impatient frustration, slamming her palm against the wall of the elevator,

BB-8 beeped and whirred in reply, partly sharing the girl's exasperation and partly urging her to try to keep a cool head.

She had to get to Leia. She had to tell her...

But surely if Rey had sensed his nearness, then Leia— his own mother—would already be aware. Perhaps she was searching for him even now. Maybe there was already a squad out looking for him.

And yet how...how had he known to find her here?!

Finally, the entryway doors parted as the lift reached her floor. Rey immediately set to sprinting again. She made straight for the main hall. It seemed the most likely spot to find someone—anyone—who could help her reach Leia. But when she approached the entrance, she found not a soul in sight.

She stopped still for a moment, panting heavily as she fought to catch her breath. In the same moment, the soft hum of distant voices, barely audible, met her ear. She rushed toward the source of the noise, the volume steadily rising as she drew nearer. As the sound began to take shape, the cacophony of voices seemed to shout over one another. Some voices rang out in fear and anger, others retained an even, steady tone.

She thrust open the door to the castle's primary defense wing with a resounding _thud!_ The voices fell into an alarmed hush as she barged forcibly into the room. To Rey's surprise, the entire Resistance was gathered in this one space. They huddled together in a single mass, much as they had on the Falcon only weeks ago; but the assembly here was strikingly more tense and fractious than before.

Beyond the small crowd, Rey glimpsed the window overlooking the castle's primary gateway. A single First Order, hyperdrive-equipped TIE fighter was positioned a few dozen yards outside the castle walls.

She spotted Ben only feet outside the castle gate; choking back screams. The Supreme Leader of the galaxy had crouched to his knees, clutching his abdomen to keep from bleeding out. His face—what one could see of it through the layers of blood and ash— was contorted in an agony so gripping that Rey nearly felt the pain throbbing in her own belly.

"What's the matter with you all?!" she shouted at length, observing the motionless crowd around her. "Open the gate!"

Poe Dameron positioned himself before her, cutting her off from the control panel. Several other Resistance members moved in tighter, shoulder to shoulder with the young captain. Behind the row of men, the Wookiee towered over the controls, inhibiting access to the gateway switch.

Rey's mouth crept open in dismay. She turned her stare to General Leia; she didn't know if she was more stunned or appalled at the whole lot of them.

"General," she whispered, her expression contorted into a plea. General Leia had the authority to order the gate opened. Why hadn't she done it?!

Leia averted her gaze from the girl's eyes, casting her stare to the floor. She was silent, but Rey felt the conflict as it gnawed at her superior; it was stripping her to the bone.

Finn's voice broke through the silence, incredulous and rising with anger. "What do you mean, "Open the gate?"

"It's hardly a riddle," Rey shot back.

"He's just lucky we haven't blasted him with everything we've got!"

"Finn!" She was more aghast than angry. It wasn't the reaction she'd expected from her usually compassionate friend.

"What?!" Finn's register had nearly reached a full on shout now. "He's tried to kill EVERYONE in this room— several times!"

"And it's truly vile!" Rey conceded. "But for that, we should gun down a lone man who's launched no attack on this fortress and committed no act of aggression? Tell me, Finn. Explain it to me, since you're so enlightened. How would that make _us_ the heroes here? Hmm? How would we be any different from the First Order?!"

"Enough, you two." Poe Dameron raised an impatient hand as he interrupted their shouting match. He turned to address his ranking officer. "General Leia," he began, his appeal reverent but resolved. "We'd likely be doing the guy a favor. He's half dead anyway and—"

The general's reply cut through the young pilot's gentle speech like a razor to fine silk. "Absolutely not. That is an order. I said it before and I stand by it. Anyone who fires on him will be subject to the same end."

"General," he was venturing into dangerous waters by continuing his entreaty, "I've disregarded your orders before, and I will never be insubordinate toward you ever again. But...is it possible that perhaps you may be approaching this more as a mother than as a soldier?"

A fiery fury danced across Leia's face. She seized control of it in nearly the same instant it had appeared. If anyone had batted an eye, they would have missed it entirely, but the words had clearly struck her for their ignorance and impertinence.

"Captain," she kept a collected, measured tone, deliberate in forming each word so that they were unmistakably firm, but equally calm. "If I were truly approaching this 'as a mother' rather than as a general, I'd have ordered that gate opened from the instant I saw him and carried him up here myself."

Poe took a step back as he absorbed Leia's cold, unshakable reply.

"And _because_ I am a general—and fully aware of my responsibilities as such—I refuse to give an order to open the gate and permit the primary enemy of the Resistance to take quarter among us. But I'll be damned if I'll allow anyone who's begging for mercy at our gate to be murdered as an act of vengeance."

"Now, tell me, Rey," she turned her attention from her hot-headed captain and fixed her eyes on the girl. Whatever conflict had stirred within her before had been put to rest by Poe's foolhardy request. "How did my son know to find us here?"

"I...I don't know," her stammer made her declaration sound like a falsehood, but her assertions were entirely true. She sensed that Leia believed her immediately. The rest of the party, however, was glaring at her in suspicion.

Rather than stop there, she made the foolish mistake of trying all the more to defend herself, "I've never said a word to Ben since we came here!"

"BEN?!" The word launched out of Finn's mouth like a loaded cannon. "You mean Supreme Leader Kylo Ren? You two are on a first name basis?"

The others' whispers, hot with fear and anger, grew to a low hum among the crowd.

Leia's commanding voice echoed through the rippling murmur, "I sensed something elusive when we were in the tunnels that day. I knew something was off...I would've sworn that I sensed him, but it seemed impossible."

Rey's cheeks were growing flushed now. She wished she had confided in Leia before when she'd confronted her in the medical ward. This public declaration was far worse than anything that could have passed between the two of them privately.

"It's...it's not something I can control. It's the Force bond," Rey confessed after a pause. After all, she was already waist-deep in humiliation. There was nothing left but to fully submerge herself in the truth.

Finn spoke first, "You have a Force bond with KYLO REN?! And you never mentioned this to anyone?!"

"The kyber crystal," Leia interjected, a satisfied lilt marking her voice; like one who'd discovered a key to a door that no one else could open. "Only a Dark Force-wielder can turn a kyber crystal."

Rey cocked her head to one side. She didn't follow what the general was getting at.

"When you fainted that day, the red kyber was in your hand. And you saw my son then...which means he in turn saw you."

"Yes. But I don't understand," Rey replied, still unclear on where this was headed.

"That's how he knew where to find you. You were holding a red kyber crystal. The only Dark Force-users left are himself and the Knights of Ren. He knows we wouldn't seek them out to steal their kyber crystals. That's a fool's errand. He also knows that Vader, his grandfather, kept a red crystal stashed away somewhere on Mustafar as a prize. So that leaves only one unclaimed red kyber in the galaxy. And that would have led him—"

"Here!" Rey finished the general's thought aloud. "But that would mean that he's known our whereabouts for roughly two weeks...and he's only arriving now, in a time of desperation. He could've rallied his troops immediately to finish us off, and yet—"

"It could be a trap," Poe countered Rey's budding notion. "He's been itching to destroy the Resistance outright for years. Why would he all of a sudden stop now?"

"Well, I'm with Rey!" A gentle but resolute voice rang out above the crescendoing buzz of muffled voices. "I think we should've opened the gate right away!"

Rose stepped out from behind Finn, crossing over to stand in solidarity by the young scavenger's side. Rey gave her companion a look of sincerest gratitude.

Finn scoffed, "For God's sake, Rose! Why?!"

She turned to meet his glowering stare, immovable in her stance. "Look, I can't stand Kylo Ren. He is wicked and cruel and he has earned every awful thing that comes his way!"

Rey was taken aback by Rose's harsh reply. It hardly seemed the position of someone advocating on Ben's behalf.

"But our actions aren't a reflection on him. They speak to our quality of character, not to his."

The young woman spoke with the kind of conviction that was more befitting of a high-ranking commanding officer than a maintenance technician.

"And I still believe that this is how we win: not by killing what we hate, but by saving…"

Rose paused for a moment, her eyes darted between Finn and Rey, as if debating whether to finish her thought.

"saving what we...can."

The growing murmur of the Resistance crew suddenly morphed into a roar of unrestrained shouts. Rey and Rose alone argued for the gates to open. The gathered crowd was growing volatile, as if a pit of anger had cracked open beneath them and was swallowing each of them up one by one.

A moment later, a single, primal voice, deep and guttural, cut through the air with an intensity that forced everyone present to bring their palms defensively to their ears. The room froze.

In a seamless, sweeping motion, Chewbacca thrust his massive paw against the switch of the control panel. The gates below swung wide apart. But Ben, already unconscious from the severity of the pain and the loss of blood, was lying motionless at the castle entrance.

The Wookiee shoved through the crowd of stunned Resistance fighters, grabbing Rey silently by the arm as he tugged her out of the room, urging her to follow him. They hastened wordlessly out of the fortress and down to the place where Ben lie helpless and bleeding out on the rocky ground. Together, they scooped up Ben's unconscious form and carried him inside the fortress, bolting the door shut behind them.


	8. Chapter 8

If Vader's castle had given its inhabitants an uneasy feeling prior to Ben's arrival, the tension had only heightened in the days that followed. Neither Rey nor Chewbacca were rightful soldiers of the Resistance, so they couldn't be subject to formal reprimand for insubordination as would a regular infantryman. All the same, their actions were not met with complete impunity; the icy stares and the austere silence from the bulk of the Resistance crew had confirmed as much. Rose wasn't winning any popularity contests among the other rebels either. The three of them had been assigned to taking shifts helping Dr. Dyne attend to their nefarious patient.

It was a far cry from a nursing gig. The array of droids available in the castle rendered that role superfluous. It was more a means of inconveniencing the parties who'd been so insistent in granting quarter to the Supreme Leader of the First Order. It also had the added benefit of doubling as a security measure. Even in his unconscious state, his reputation was still fearsome enough to add another layer of concern to the rebellion's already bleak situation.

In truth, not one of Ben's trio of advocates was especially fond of him, but each had their own reasons for voting to grant him safe haven. Rose had been clear in her position. For her, saving him was a simple matter of principle. Chewbacca had never really voiced his thoughts, but Rey suspected that he had spent a great deal of time with the young Ben Solo due to a lifetime of friendship with his father, perhaps forming an attachment to the memory of the boy as he had been before he was corrupted by the darkness. And whatever resentment or anger the Wookiee no doubt harbored against Han Solo's murderer, it hadn't escaped her notice that Chewie— an excellent marksman— hadn't struck Ben with a fatal shot back on Starkiller Base. She questioned whether he had truly been remiss in his aim at all.

Rey didn't care to confront her own reasons. When she'd heard Ben's pleas through the Force bond and witnessed his terrible state, she had reacted with pure emotion. There was still no doubt in her mind that it was Ben Solo who had called out to her, but she had no way of knowing how committed he was— or intended to remain— to his lighter persona. More to the point, she was still navigating her own disappointment in the way things had unraveled between them. Anger and sorrow inevitably washed over her whenever she was forced to think of him— and something else, too— though she preferred to label it as mere pity than to analyze it further.

She sat in the center of her bed, clutching at the two halves of her broken lightsaber. She'd healed the kyber crystal; that was the hard part. But it didn't change the fact that the weapon itself was still in pieces. Although she was fairly handy, she had no experience mending shattered Jedi weaponry. It was possible that Vader's library contained some texts about how to construct a lightsaber, but it was risky to venture back down there just yet. There was still a great deal of suspicion surrounding her now that she'd been forced to explain her connection to Ben. It would be unwise to keep sneaking off by herself into the heart of Vader's dark lair at a time like this.

An abrupt knock at her chamber door brought Rey to her feet. She made her way over to greet her visitor.

Finn was one of the only rebels who hadn't taken to eyeing Rey cynically every time she entered a room. He had yet to return to regarding Rose and Rey with his typical warmth, and he was still adamantly opposed to granting quarter to a Knight of Ren; but he'd been a near constant presence for each woman since the dark Force-wielder's arrival. Finn may have fervently disagreed with them, but his distrust (and disdain) of Kylo Ren was such that he didn't care to leave either of them friendless while a murderous dictator remained in their midst.

Finn's lips curled in grim severity.

"What happened?" Rey probed, registering his worried expression.

He heaved an anxious sigh, shoulders slumping as he spoke. "He's awake."

Several Resistance soldiers were scattered in the hallway outside the entrance to the medical ward. Almost in unison, they cast an uneasy stare in Rey's direction as she approached. Finn moved a bit closer to her side in quiet reassurance. Rey was too apprehensive to return his gesture with an appreciative smile, but her heart warmed a little in gratitude toward her unfailingly loyal friend.

Leia emerged from the doorway, wordlessly motioning for Rey as she turned to the remaining crew members that lingered outside the door.

"Leave us, please."

Finn shot Rey a quick, knowing look as he turned to heed the general's request. Only Chewbacca remained in the hallway now; a formidable figure strategically placed outside the medic ward to deter any unwanted eavesdroppers. Rey breathed deep, centering herself as she followed Leia into the room.

The moment she stepped through the doorway, his eyes locked onto hers with unbridled tenacity. A sea of raw emotion engulfed his expression; so wild and unsteady that she felt herself adrift within his stare, buffeted by the ferocity of his tormented spirit.

It was strange, really. She had seen him many times over the course of the passing days and had harbored only pity as she looked on his feeble, broken form. Yet here, now— with his dark eyes transfixed on her like a falcon to a dove— she felt vulnerable and exposed. It overwhelmed her senses. She cast her gaze immediately to the floor, unable to bear the sight of those dark, desperate eyes.

No one spoke. Although Rey hadn't looked in his direction again, she could still feel his eyes lingering on her. She turned her attention to General Leia who stood facing the both of them, surveying the unspoken intensity of the scene that was unfolding before her. The furled brow and knowing tilt of her mentor's head were enough to send the blood racing into Rey's cheeks; she could feel herself growing increasingly flushed. Meanwhile, the general had read the room as effortlessly as if she were thumbing through a child's picture book.

"Well," Leia began at long last, fixing her stare firmly on her bedridden son, "I don't suppose I really have to tell you that we've reached the question and answer portion of your visit."

"Naturally," his reply lacked the full impact of its usual, resonant bass. But even in his weakened state, there was an unparalleled sense of power in his voice, like no one Rey had ever heard before.

"What would you do if you were in my place?" Her tone was heavy with frustration, but her inquiry was neither rhetorical nor intended as a test. They were deep in uncharted waters now and what she sought was genuine input, one leader to another.

A single, sardonic laugh escaped his lips. "You know what I'd do."

"Precisely!" Leia spat out in reply.

The words came pouring out of her now like water pumped through a sieve. "But that is not our way. So what then? How am I to ethically— prudently— minimize the threat that you pose to the stability and success of the Resistance?"

"If you won't execute me, then the only other reasonable option is to hold me as a prisoner of the Resistance."

Leia shook her head, she was obviously angry, but there was another element to her feelings too: was it...amusement?

"And how wonderfully convenient that would be for you, no?" A bitter smile formed at the corner of her mouth. "The moment you came to us— near death, at that— it was apparent that your level of desperation was such that you simply had nowhere else to go. Even before the intel came from our allies declaring that the Supreme Leader had been overthrown, it was obvious that you'd been ousted from your seat of power. Otherwise you'd have sought the superior medical aid of the First Order rather than be forced to turn to our resources to save your life. No doubt you were hedging your bets that we would not kill you on sight and, if you survived, we'd be forced to keep you as a prisoner; a perfect solution for you, really, since there's no safer place to hide as an enemy of the First Order than among the soldiers of the Resistance."

All Rey required to confirm the general's assertions was to look on the sinking expression of the displaced dictator. She felt extraordinarily foolish. Perhaps it really had been Ben who'd called out to her before, but there was no doubt that Leia's words rang remarkably true. He didn't even attempt to deny them. His plea for help had not stemmed from some sudden desire to embrace a new path or to set aside his quest for power— it was a last-ditch, calculated effort to save his own skin. Rey scowled at him, but this time it was he who averted his eyes from the piercing, unwavering stares.

"As it is," Leia continued after a pause, "you leave me with no choice. We won't end you and we can't send you away, so you'll remain here under the watchful eye of the Resistance..."

He nodded, obviously satisfied with the result. Though Rey thought she noted an undertone of shame in his manner as well.

"...as Rey's teacher."

"WHAT?!" the words dropped out of the young woman's mouth as if they'd fallen from a pile of stacked stones.

"Not unsupervised, of course. I'll be sure to have BB-8 film everything that transpires directly to me in a live feed."

Rey realized now why her superior had appointed the little droid to the role of permanent chaperone after her mysterious fainting spell. In truth, she didn't even resent the general using the BB unit to spy on her; if anything, it made her admire her mentor all the more. Luke may have been the storied Jedi of their family, but Leia was as shrewd a leader as she was strong.

The general eyed the two of them carefully as she continued, "I'm not so foolish as to leave a novice Jedi completely alone with a veteran dark Force-wielder. But if you're irrevocably connected through your Force bond anyway, you won't be shaking one another anytime soon. We may as well use our given circumstances to the advantage of the Resistance."

"So you believe we ought to trust him to help the Resistance?" Rey was incredulous.

"Trust is not a factor. He simply has nowhere to run. The fact that he came here means that even his own Knights of Ren have turned against him."

His somber silence loudly affirmed his perceptive mother's inferences.

She continued, "If the Resistance fails, he loses the only potential allies he has left."

Ben didn't share Rey's outrage at the proposed arrangement, but furrowed his brow in uncertainty. "I've never trained anyone in the Force…not in the way you're asking."

The general dismissed this with a nonchalant wave of her hand, "You were a student of the light side of the Force for half your life and a teacher of dark Force-users for years. You're more qualified— on paper, at least— to train Rey in the Force than anyone alive. Figure it out!"

"But…" Rey protested, trying to maintain a measured, respectful tone, "he can't even move from the bed yet. How's he supposed to—"

"You're still working on mending that severed lightsaber of yours, no?" the princess interjected coolly. "You can start there. Ben's made a kyber-based weapon before. He can help you get started...and there's no mobility required of him."

"Chewie!" Leia poked her head into the hallway to address her furry companion. "Fetch the BB unit for me and have him gather up the pieces of the broken Jedi weapon to bring back here. We'll be needing it for today's lesson."

The Wookiee gave an acquiescent nod and hastened out of sight.

"Well then," the general turned her attention back to the newly appointed teacher and his deeply reluctant student, "Rey, you'll be guarding our guest, BB-8 will be supervising the both of you, and I'll be keeping a close watch on it all."

Rey was stunned. Wordlessly, she directed her focus back to the man— the monster— whose image had haunted her from the moment they'd met. He returned her gaze with a silent stare; how many times had she been forced to drink in that same, broken expression?

Whether the whole arrangement made for an act of genius or madness, Rey couldn't say with certainty yet. At the moment, she was leaning heavily toward the latter (despite her usual faith in the general's judgement). In either case, one thing was entirely certain: the Jedi and the Jedi killer had been recast as student and master.


	9. Chapter 9

"I think it may be time to try a bit of walking," Dr. Dyne gingerly prodded the area surrounding Ben's wound, assessing its tenderness. "You're healing up much faster than I'd have expected. But, then again…"

She raised an amused eyebrow as her voice trailed off, but there was no need to finish her thought. The implications were perfectly clear. Mustafar was home to a Locus of the Dark side of the Force. Naturally Ben, a dark Force-wielder, would draw strength from its power. He'd been near death when he'd arrived only weeks ago, but the combination of medical attention and his connection to the Dark Side had readily pulled him back from the edge.

"No farther than up and down the hall a bit, though," she cautioned.

He winced slightly as she placed a finger just below his navel. It was clear that the pain had yet to fully subside, but the gash in his abdomen was noticeably less severe than when he'd first arrived.

Ben caught Rey's eye as she surveyed the status of his wound. She suddenly became aware that in focusing on his injury, she was likewise staring at his exposed, shirtless form. She quickly averted her gaze toward Dr. Dyne, but as she pulled away, she thought she spotted a hint of a sideways smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

"Rey can give you a hand," Dyne continued without even glancing in the young Jedi's direction for approval. She affixed a clean bandage to the patient's wound and motioned Rey over to his side.

"Ok, just put your arm here," the doctor positioned Rey under the crook of Ben's shoulder to help steady him. "Great," she instructed the pair, "easy does it...slow and steady."

Rey crouched a bit, her palm pressed directly against the skin of Ben's back as she helped bring him to a standing position. She would acquiesce to Dr. Dyne's request, but she was intent on keeping her stare directly ahead of her, refusing to look on his face— or his half-bare body— as she stooped to his aid. She slowly escorted him out the door and into the hallway.

BB-8 followed closely behind, a welcome addition to their jaunt, as far as Rey was concerned. She couldn't have been more grateful for the general's insistence that the droid keep tabs on their interaction. The constant surveillance kept Ben from bringing up any pieces of their past which Rey would've preferred to let lie. Before, whenever the Force bond had pulled them together, she'd sensed— known, even—that he was hoping to address the uncomfortable events which had transpired prior to his arrival on Mustafar. Too many emotions seethed within her when she thought of what had passed between them. He'd condemned the rebellion to death and lashed out in a violent rage against Master Luke. She had put her faith in the glimmer of light that still flickered within him, and he had betrayed her hopes for his own personal gain.

But for each grainy layer of anger and disappointment that weighed on her like a heaping pile of ponderous sediment, another layer of unparalleled connection and mutual understanding dwelled just below the surface. Undoubtedly, he had been perfectly ridiculous in essentially calling her a nobody to anyone other than him. However, it was apparent that his intention had been to offer her a sort of reassuring comfort—not to mention a galaxy. And she could not deny that he had intentionally acted to save her life in the throne room that day. She had foolishly allowed herself to run to him in the belief that the vision she'd had of his future would take shape just as she had seen it; when she'd pressed her hand against his, bare palm to bare palm.

He was surveying her carefully now as they trudged down the hall.

"Is this an okay pace for you?" she asked, less out of concern for their current speed than from a desire to redirect his attention.

"I'm fine." Sensing her growing unease, he shifted his gaze from her face to the floor beneath his feet, monitoring his labored steps. "Is the lightsaber working well for you?"

"It's as good as new!" Rey responded with a delighted smile. "Perhaps I can show you the finished product later?"

Ben nodded.

The guidance and pointers he'd given her in repairing the item had proven very helpful and enlightening. She had been quite concerned about pairing with him to mend the damaged weapon. It was a sensitive issue for the both of them; not just because the saber was actually a family heirloom of his, but also because the damage to the weapon had been a direct result of their heated falling out. She often asked herself what he might have done if he'd succeeded in stripping her of her defenses when they'd squabbled over it in the throne room, though she was fairly certain that the answer would be particularly unsavory.

For now, at least, he was keeping the conversation business-related for her sake. It was a welcomed gesture. She appreciated that he was quick to take her hints, but this was as much a curse as a gift; it was clear that he read her exceptionally well, better than anyone she'd ever met if she were being entirely honest with herself. And although it was a comfort to feel as though someone understood her even when she scarcely understood herself, it was likewise a burden to feel so wholly and perpetually exposed.

"I'm afraid I won't be much of a sparring partner for a while yet."

Rey thought she glanced a twitch at the corner of his mouth, as if he were struggling to suppress any evidence of discomfort. She stopped in her path, letting her eyes rest on his face a moment to evaluate the severity of his pain. It was the first time she had allowed herself to look— truly look— into his eyes since he'd awoken from his unconscious state. That same jolt of emotion seemed to leap at her from the depths of his stare, erratic and ablaze like a wildfire that could no longer be contained, or a panther that had been too long confined to a steel cage.

"Rey," his mouth trembled a bit, eager to spill the words from his lips in a stream of bitter, aching confessions.

Oncoming footsteps suddenly resounded in the hallway, echoing off the shiny black walls. The sudden interruption silenced Ben before he had even begun; the intensity of the moment washed clean away like words scribbled into sand under an ebbing tide. Almost in unison, they whipped their heads around to glimpse the approaching figure.

"Rose!" Rey exclaimed, welcoming her new friend with a smile.

As Ben's primary chaperone, she had had only limited interaction with any of her companions (apart from Leia and Dyne) for weeks. She was glad to see a friendly face.

Currently, however, Rose's expression lacked its typical warm glow. She returned Rey's greeting with a faint, half smile, but she kept her gaze primarily fixed on Ben. There was a distinct discomfort in her eyes. It was not in her nature to be cold or distant, and even now—face to face with the nefarious dark knight—no trace of disgust or revulsion was evident in her countenance. Still, it was evident that she did not relish being so close to a fully conscious Kylo Ren.

Ben spoke first.

"Hello," his voice was steady, calm. Not as gentle as it often was when he spoke to Rey, but a deliberate, intentional civility marked his manner all the same, as if he were striving to make the girl more comfortable.

Ben shifted on his feet, carefully removing his right arm from behind Rey's neck as she steadied him. He extended his hand to greet his new acquaintance.

Rose stared at him agape, her expression a mix of consternation and confusion. She moved her gaze from his face to his outstretched hand, slowly bringing her palm to meet his in a civil, albeit cautious, handshake.

"You're Rose, then?" he continued in that same mellow tone, giving her hand a firm shake before again steadying himself against Rey's shoulder. "Rey told me that you were one of the few who wished to allow me into the castle. I owe you a debt of gratitude."

Rose didn't speak as she narrowed her brow, skeptical and quizzical. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Ben's arm lying across Rey's shoulders.

For Rey, the quiet had already begun to linger among them all a moment too long. The silence—and Rose's stare—made her aware once again of her hand as it braced the naked skin of Ben's back, the side of her body pressed firmly against his bare torso. Any Resistance fighter would be unnerved meeting Kylo Ren face to face, but seeing him naked from the waist up with a Jedi on his arm surely made for a strange, uncomfortable image by anyone's standards.

At last, Rose's reply broke through the silence.

"Hello, Mr…" her voice trailed off for a moment, "...Mr. Ren."

Rey had to suppress a chuckle. She didn't want Rose to feel as though she were having a laugh at her expense, but watching a staunch Resistance advocate determine how to address Kylo Ren in polite conversation was more amusing than she could have imagined.

Rose continued, turning her attention to Rey, "You're wanted in the main hall."

"Ok," she replied with a nod. "I'll need to take him back first and then—"

"No." Rose shook her head. "You misunderstand. You're _both_ wanted."

Rey exchanged a look with Ben, the curiosity of both fully piqued. The young Jedi opened her mouth to inquire further, but Rose had already piped up again.

"You two wait here. I'll grab him a mobile chair from the medic's ward..." she paused, fidgeting nervously as her eyes fell across Kylo Ren's bare chest, "and a shirt or...something."

Minutes later, the three of them entered into the main hall. Rey was amazed at how their numbers had already grown in the weeks that had passed. She'd noticed more troops trickling in here and there, but her duties to Ben had kept her from fully realizing the extent of their growth. They were still a meager excuse for a fighting force— nothing that would pose a true threat to the First Order—but they had grown nearly tenfold since their escape from Crait.

The murmur of voices fell into a hushed, heavy silence. Rey noted that every person in the room, save Chewie, Rose, and the general, was glaring at Ben with a cold disdain.

She turned to survey his reaction. She had expected to find something akin to shame or contrition in his manner, something that communicated a sort of unspoken apology for his past deeds.

Instead, she saw his eyes narrowed with all the fire and intensity of a proud, unyielding tyrant. Despite his weakened state, his stature was powerful and erect, fearsome and arrogant. It surely caused him great pain to engage his wounded abdomen as he did now, but he bit through the pain, pushing back against the stares of condemnation.

Only moments ago, he had greeted Rose with all the civility of a conscientious, well-bred gentleman. She had approached him with uncertainty, but also with an open mind and without a shred of animosity; he in turn had met her caution with a mild-mannered, soothing courtesy. Yet to witness him now, it would have seemed impossible. The gathered crowd looking on him saw only evil and darkness in him, and he had conformed to the image which they chose to see.

Even to Rey— in this singular moment— he looked like Kylo Ren.

Leia's voice shattered the icy tension of the room.

"Now then," she began in her usual, commanding tone, "as most of you are aware, we've been communicating with our allies along the outer rim and all across the galaxy. The longer we sit in wait and are forced to retreat idly into hiding, the tighter grows the grip of the First Order and of Supreme Leader Hux."

Ben's face crinkled in loathsome disgust at the mere mention of Hux's name. Rey knew Ben harbored no affection for the man, but she wondered precisely what had transpired to cause their ultimate falling out. How had Hux managed to usurp the mighty Kylo Ren?

"The First Order," the general continued, "if stripped of its military might, would lose its growing hold on the galaxy. That is why we plan to attack the heart of their system. We will wipe out their crop of stormtrooper cadets—"

"You're hypocrites!" The words shot from Ben's mouth like a knocked arrow hurled from a tightly-drawn bow.

It seemed to suck the air out of the room. A chill settled over the crowd.

Poe Dameron stepped forward aggressively from his place near the general, glowering at Ben. His lips moved as if to shout down Ben's challenge, but Leia summoned him back with a firm wave of her hand.

She set her gaze firmly on her son, pausing a moment before issuing him a permissive nod. "Well, then…?"

He surveyed the room of rebels, meeting their dark scowls with equal coldness. "The Resistance prides itself on its moral superiority, its commitment to freedom and democracy. Yet you lot plan to attack stormtrooper _cadets_?! They're children who've never even seen battle; babes ripped from their mothers' arms and forced into a system that breeds them for warfare. And you all plot to 'wipe them out' before they've become men; all while congratulating yourselves for your evolved sense of morality. At least the First Order doesn't pretend to be—"

"You're right," Leia interrupted him with a raised hand, her voice cool and smooth as a steady stream.

The room was silent as the two Skywalkers exchanged uncompromising stares. Skywalkers at odds: it was an old, tired contest which the entire galaxy knew all too well.

Ben narrowed his eyes at his mother, taken aback by her too hasty concession.

"Or at least," she continued at length, "you _would_ be right if that were our true intention."

A curious wrinkle formed at his brow as if unsure of his mother's implication.

Leia continued, maintaining her calm, instructive presence.

"When you stood outside these gates in need of aid, the greater part of the Resistance was in favor of striking you down where you knelt."

At this, for a fleeting moment, Ben's proud expression cracked. It was only a subtle slip of the mask, perhaps perceptible to Rey alone, but it had shaken him a little all the same.

"Rey, however, issued us a challenge that struck me then and plagued me well after," she motioned to the young Jedi with a tilt of her regal head.

"I?" Rey ran through the events of Ben's arrival, trying to recall what she had said in the control room that day which could've affected the general so.

"You asked how our choices stood to make us the heroes in this war. You challenged us to consider how our actions were reflecting on the legitimacy of our cause. And it made me wonder what—without a republic or any governing body—we were truly fighting for now," she paused intentionally, letting the question hover over the crowd.

"And I realized," Leia continued solemnly, "that we are fighting for the galaxy itself; not a particular government or ideology, but for the individual sovereignty of every creature. And that must include the stormtroopers themselves."

The whole room had gone still as the general's words washed over them. Even Ben's face had softened into a curious sort of receptiveness.

"The stormtroopers are just as much victims of the First Order as anyone else. They may propagate that system, but the system itself subjugated and manipulated them from birth."

"So what are you proposing?" came Ben's cautious inquiry.

"As I said," her words rang out clear and measured, "we attack the heart of the system and wipe out their crop of cadets, but not by destroying them…"

Every ear bent to the sound of her voice now.

"...we seek out the conscripted babies torn from their families and we bring them home."

"General," Poe turned to address his commanding officer, "it is a great secret as to where those younglings are held. And even if we could find it, it's rumored to be one of the most inaccessible, well-fortified structures in the galaxy. How could we possibly—"

"I believe..." General Leia interrupted the captain abruptly, a slight, shrewd smile curling at the corner of her lips, "...we already have all the information we need."

Her eyes darted directly to Ben. All at once, the entire Resistance collectively followed her stare.

"Yes," Leia affirmed again, "we have _precisely_ what we need."


	10. Chapter 10

Poe eyed the roster of recruits, taking note of their growing numbers. "It's a good start, but it's still not enough."

"How many more?" Finn cocked his head, addressing his friend. If anyone in the Resistance was particularly invested in Leia's initiative, it was the former stormtrooper himself. He had been a victim of the First Order's child soldier recruitment program. Now, he hungered to alter the fate of the children whom the Order had apprehended for their violent cause.

Ben interjected before Poe could answer, "Thousands more."

Finn shot Ben an ice cold glare. Even after weeks of collaboration, the rebels continued to make it clear that Ben's presence was unwelcome.

He ignored Finn's wordless admonition.

"You're not just gearing up to demolish J-Sec," he continued in an even, authoritative tone. "You're talking about trying to relocate nearly 50,000 younglings. You'll need— "

"Yes. Thank you for your input," Poe cut him off, a thick layer of sardonicism enveloping his words.

The operation was taking a hefty chunk of time to organize, even with more volunteers pouring in every day, the Resistance still lacked the full force and weaponry necessary to take out the Jinata Security base. Moreover, it wasn't a typical attack wherein destruction was the primary agenda. The Resistance had set its sights on executing a massive rescue mission. Preservation would require far more care and preparation than simply obliterating the structure. Every detail had to be thoughtfully and tediously considered.

Of course, Ben was heavily involved in coordinating the details of the Resistance's plan. His contribution was tacitly compulsory, but even so, he was far from an unwilling participant. However, unlike his mother and the other Resistance leadership, his motivation was not rooted in a wholly noble, innate desire to liberate the conscripted children. Rey sensed that his eagerness to efficiently execute the plans stemmed in part from a desire to deliver a bitter, crushing blow to Supreme Leader Hux. In any case, Ben's goals and those of the Resistance, if not equally inspired, were at least intrinsically aligned.

In the nearly two months that had passed since Leia had revealed her intentions, Ben's health had drastically improved. He'd been walking without assistance for several weeks now, and he was noticeably more spry and lithe in his movements and gestures. Dr. Dyne had dismissed him from her care and he was even occupying his own room in the castle away from the medical wing. And yet, despite the immense progress he'd made with respect to his health and his eager willingness to help in organizing the J-Sec operative, there was still something elusive in his demeanor that gnawed unrelentingly at Rey. It didn't hint at duplicity, but the gentle vulnerability that had been so dominant in him in the weeks immediately after his arrival had seemed to dissipate. It began the very day that Ben came face to face with the bulk of the rebellion, and it had not since receded.

The reality made for a prickly paradox; they'd never been closer together by distance, at least not for such an extended period, and yet the chasm between them had widened. The rebels looked on him and saw only the villainy and savagery of Kylo Ren, and he, on cue, had settled into the skin of his more familiar, darker persona. It wasn't as if he'd begun to regard Rey with cruelty or coldness, and he maintained a steady professionalism in their interaction. But he was distant, guarded; his proverbial shields were up.

Rey was surprised—not at his suddenly withdrawn behavior—but at her own feelings as she watched him retreat further into himself. She'd spent weeks pushing him away after the battle on Crait, shutting down his attempts at reconciliation for fear of allowing an unstable, oscillating storm into her already complicated world. Now that he'd stopped trying to reach out to her, a secret part of her was somehow aching with regret. She had led herself to believe that she genuinely wanted to keep him at a calculated distance, but as the gap between them spread, she felt as if a small tear in the fabric of her spirit was being pulled to the brink of unravelling.

Poe called to Rey, interrupting her distant thoughts and bringing her back into the reality of the moment.

"We'll need you both in prime shape for this. Two powerful Force-wielders in our rescue party gives us a huge advantage in battle." The captain paused, regarding Rey with a questioning stare before casting his eyes again on Kylo Ren in a cross between reluctance and suspicion.

"The only thing that's really going to help either of you get stronger is to spar together," he continued matter-of-factly. "None of the rest of us could put up a fierce enough fight in hand-to-hand combat to challenge either of your limits."

"Ok," Rey replied with an acquiescent nod. "We can get into the training room and—"

"I need the training room for the greater bulk of the troops," Poe responded, shaking his head. "The only other venue with the space you'll need is—"

"NO!" Finn anticipated his commanding officer's intentions, rejecting the recommendation outright in a firm, defiant tone. "You're not going to send her into the heart of a dark Locus of the Force alone with _him_!" His voice curdled a bit as the words escaped his lips.

"They won't be alone," Poe continued, sighing with frustration at his friend's emotional protest. "The droid will stream the live feed as always."

"And if he decides to kill his only real competition in the galaxy before we can get to her while we're all just helplessly watching this 'live feed' from the surface?" His voice was cold with contention. "Absolutely not."

Rey glanced at Ben, gauging his reaction to her friend's bold assertion. He only rolled his eyes, issuing a quick, throaty guffaw.

She raised a cautionary eyebrow at Finn, silently signaling him to back off. She appreciated his concern for her, but he was pushing the boundaries of that friendship in attempting to make decisions about her safety on her behalf. It was one thing for the Resistance leadership to make demands of her, it was another thing for her friend to make declarations about her role without her input.

"Enough!" The captain's expression was unwavering, addressing his friend with the tenor of an authority rather than a companion. "Leia has ordered him to train her and they need to prepare for combat. The planet core will have to do."

Minutes later, the two Force-wielders were on the lift with their little shadow of a droid, descending into the depths of the castle. Neither of them addressed the other, facing forward silently, sparring sticks in hand, and without as much as a shared glance of acknowledgement. Rey's mind drifted back to the last time the two of them were alone on an elevator together; the apprehension that had gripped her, the tension in their hushed whispers, the way he'd looked at her when she'd first addressed him as "Ben"-soft and exposed.

The doors of the lift thrust open at last. Ben stepped off of the platform first, taking a long look at the dark, winding passages that sprawled before them. After a moment, he motioned to Rey, signalling her to guide their way.

They walked in silence through the tunnel into the heart of Vader's lair. Rey had grown accustomed to passing the heavy, iron doors that lined the passage. But somehow, traversing the halls that harbored the dark secrets of the last of the Sith felt strangely more ominous in the presence of his grandson. In another existence, perhaps Ben might have captured and tortured her behind these doors—just as his grandfather had done to scores of exiled Jedi over the decades.

The thought sent a shudder coursing through Rey's body.

At last, they'd reached the center of the core. Ben walked ahead of her now, surveying the massive expanse that made up his grandfather's former lair.

Rey turned to the droid as it approached the threshold of entry. In the past, she had marked the passage back with a personal item, but the droid would easily be able to survey them from the foot of the tunnel, doubling as a place marker for their return trip.

He beeped a willing reply and popped into place per Rey's request. She gave him a little smile, patting him gratefully on the head before following toward her silent, solemn trainer.

Ben stood near the center of the room, eyeing the rickety control panel. He looked up as Rey approached, as if all of a sudden remembering their purpose in this cold, dark place.

"Are you ready?" He clutched his sparring stick more tightly in his gloved hand, raising it up as if to mimic a lightsaber.

Rey nodded. Yet there was something not quite right in his tone. She sensed no malice or ill-will, but there was an icy tension in his gaze, one that was hardly befitting of a mere sparring match. She gripped her sparring stick more tightly, bracing herself.

He circled her now, eyes lingering over her stance, her face, reading the curves of her as if the movements of her body would reveal her first move. He stepped no closer to her, only walking the radius of their original distance.

A rush of emotion surged within her from the hidden depths of her heart. Without thinking, she lunged at him first. The sudden motion seemed to catch him off guard for a moment, but he lept to his left side just in time, avoiding a blow to his stomach.

Rey crouched as she landed on her feet. She froze, surprised at her own impetuousness. What had overcome her? She realized now that when she'd moved to strike at Ben, a part of her had meant it.

 _Woosh._

She didn't have time to think. His stick cut through the air, aimed straight at her chest. She bent backwards in a single, smooth motion, ducking his reactionary blow. She jumped several feet back from him. His eyes narrowed at her, hurt and pain swirling in his stare like boiling water, churning and erratic. She met his glare with equal intensity.

He stood still, maintaining the distance between them as he swung his weapon in his hand with commanding dexterity.

Rey clutched her sparring stick nearer to her chest, mindful of her lightsaber on her hip. Would she need it? What was this becoming?

Her eyes went to the BB unit in the corner, catching the interaction on film, lest it escalate into something more dire. Ben followed her gaze, sensing Rey's thoughts.

His eyes darted back to her again. For a moment, he looked broken, defeated—just as he had when she had left him alone on Crait. But the moment of vulnerability was merely ephemeral, swallowed whole by anger and immovable resolve. With a spry, manic motion, he lept into the air—but he didn't charge at her.

Instead, he had propelled himself toward the center of the room, landing squarely on his feet just next to the control panel.

In the same instant, Rey realized his intent. She wasn't sure what the switches and buttons on the control unit were capable of. She'd never considered it before. But it was clear in his expression that he was up to something rash and imprudent. She ran at him with all her might.

He thrust his empty right hand into the air, directed straight at BB-8 sitting several feet away at the entrance to the core.

"Ben! Stop!" she yelled out her command as she darted forward to tackle him to the ground.

Too late. The droid went sailing at least a dozen feet back into the tunnel under the power of Ben's telekinesis, swept off its base in a frenzy of beeps that bordered on a squeal.

She raised her arms in front of her as she knocked him down, collapsing in a prone position on top of his broad, heaving chest.

BB-8 was already moving to center himself again. Ben jerked his head around, still pinned under Rey. She wouldn't be able to keep him there for long. She was the quicker of the two of them, but he had the advantage for raw strength.

The droid was rushing down the tunnel path now. Ben shoved Rey off of his torso with a swift elbow to her abdomen. Not with a force intended to do harm, but with enough gusto to throw her off balance. He raised his hand into the air again. She thought he would move to immobilize her or disable the droid completely. But instead, he raised a finger in the air as if flipping a switch.

 _Wham!_

In seconds, a huge, steel door shot down from inside the walls of the lair, creating a barricade between the center of the core and the tunnel back to the lift. BB-8 buzzed and whirred on the opposite side of the door, unable to get to Rey.

She found her feet at last, tossing her measly sparring stick to the side and drawing her lightsaber on him.

She raised it over head threateningly, feet in a firm, solid stance as she prepared for combat. In the months that had passed, she'd sensed an inexplicable, growing barrier between them, but she hadn't anticipated open hostility. She didn't understand his sudden, frenzied behavior, but she was prepared to fight him in earnest again if she must. She'd fought him before in the forests of Starkiller Base and had almost destroyed him. Now, she didn't want to kill him if she could help it. No doubt, the best of the rebels would be making their way into the planet core already, rushing to her aid. Maybe she could hold him off until they arrived to subdue him. Even so, she questioned whether he deserved capture when he was working so hard to betray the little bit of trust she had granted him.

Ben chucked his sparring stick to the ground, lobbing it haphazardly aside. She waited for him to reach for his lightsaber, but his hand made no movement toward his deadly weapon.

Instead, she watched as his deep, mahogany eyes softened into that gentle, exposed boy she'd seen peep out from within him so many times before. The silence loomed over them now, thick and grave as it permeated the expanse that always seemed to dwell between them. At last, his voice sliced through the intense solemnity.

"For months I've been trying. Ever since the throne room...I've had to know why. And you've utterly refused to hear me. But you _will_ hear me now."

She took a guarded stance, clutching her weapon as her brows narrowed at him in wary suspicion.

He took a single step toward her, a slight tremble echoing in his voice. "Why, Rey? Why didn't you join me?"

The words had no more force than a mere whisper, but they cut at the most tender regions of her heart with a bitter blow. She switched off her weapon, lowering her hands to her sides. A smoldering agglomeration of emotion frothed up inside her: rage, disappointment, pity, and passion. They consumed all reason and sensibility within her until there was nothing left but raw, untamed emotion.

"Join _you_?! _"_ she launched the words at him through clenched teeth. "Why didn't you join _me?!_ I ran from my master to save you! I threatened him on your behalf! I put my faith in the goodness I'd seen in you! And you betrayed me! You tried to obliterate all of us!

He inched toward her now, eyes growing darker with resentment at the sting of her words. "I know what I did. But I never wanted to hurt you. Not you, Rey— never you. Couldn't you see?"

She stepped back, moving closer to the edge of the room near another open doorway.

"Oh, enough!" His theatrics were exhausting her. "What was I supposed to 'see' while you were trying to wipe us from existence?"

His voice abandoned its former gentleness, a heated, impassioned retort now spewing forth. "You threatened your master for me? Rey, I killed my master for you! I offered you a galaxy! I was honest with you in every way! I offered you an end to the fighting. The rebellion is a joke. It's a lost cause! I was trying to save you from annihilation and make you my..."

He paused, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Your _what?_ Your next Knight of Ren?" she was creeping slowly toward the nearest tunnel, trying to put some distance between them until the rebels arrived.

His throat wavered as he swallowed hard, apprehension becoming evident in his expression.

"Rey," his volume shifted once again from a shout into a soft, hushed whisper. "I've been trying to tell you...I've wanted to say it every moment since I saw you here, but we're constantly watched and I just…"

He stopped himself, taking another step closer to her.

"Ben?" Her speech was devoid of all its former fire, echoing his gentle cadence. Her mind was in a fury of conflict, a part of her aching for him to speak the words while simultaneously desperate to keep them at bay.

A loud thud came from the steel door where they had entered. The first of the rebels had arrived.

" _Rey!"_ Finn's voice echoed in fear from the other side of the door.

"Finn!" She was going to assure him that she was all right, but before the words could form on her tongue, Ben stretched his arm out before him and launched her off her feet into the closest open passageway, following directly behind her himself before raising a finger again and slamming another steel barrier down behind them.

She had never ventured beyond the central chamber and had no idea of her bearings in this strange, dark place. Her eyes darted around the passageway, surveying her surroundings. Unlike the other tunnel, a single, massive iron doorway lined the wall where they stood, secured with what appeared to be some kind of touch-identification technology.

She rounded on Ben as he drew nearer.

"Ben!" she didn't know whether to be alarmed or angry. "What are you doing!"

His voice hadn't lost its maudlin timbre. "I'm talking to you one way or another, damn it— _alone_!"

He moved closer still.

"Why, Rey? Why do you keep pushing me away?" his voice was a deep, hearty bass, eyes searching her for truth, begging her to connect.

She whipped around, turning her back to him to hide from his broken, captivating stare. Her throat tensed as hot tears threatened to erupt from her. She made no response, but she felt him slide closer to her.

He addressed her again, "You never asked me how I came to be here...what happened to me before I came to you…"

She pulled away from him, now only feet from the passage's huge iron door. She felt the palm of his hand—ungloved and exposed now—gently grip the sloping edge of her shoulder. It was not a threat; it was a supplication.

He breathed his next words softly, tenderly. "It was for you."

Her head turned toward him reflexively, his face now only inches from hers.

She opened her lips to speak, but nothing came out, her eyes eagerly studying the contours of his face.

"Rey," he continued in a gentle whisper, "I knew where you were hiding when I first saw you with my grandfather's kyber crystal that day..."

His hand slid softly from her shoulder down the length of her arm, stopping at last to clasp her trembling fingers.

"Hux had been suspicious of me for a while...ever since I struck down Snoke."

Outside, she could hear the clamor of the rebels, metal clanging against metal over the sound of shouts in a frenzied murmur. Her rescue party— one that she neither required nor wished for any longer—had made it into the central room of the planet core.

Ben didn't react, his eyes firmly fixed on her alone. "They came into my chambers as I slept, Hux and all six of the Knights of Ren. They tortured me, Rey. They saw what happened in the throne room. Learned my…" he hesitated a moment, clutching her hand tighter in his grasp, "...my feelings for you."

Rey gazed up at him, her heart fluttering; unable to speak, barely able to breathe.

"It took all six of my knights to extract this from me, but I concealed the part of me that knew your location. I hid it from them, hid _you_ from them."

 _Clang!_

Rey gasped as an abrupt sound startled her where she stood. The rebels were at the door now. Still, Ben did not flinch. He pressed nearer to her; she felt her back against the tunnel wall, just beside the only other door in the passage.

"They overtook me, dragged me into the main hall in the presence of all the soldiers and officers aboard our ship" the fire in his eyes had returned now, but he looked past her, recalling the scene that had transpired before. "They named Hux Supreme Leader and prepared to execute me for treason in front of all the company. But not before the Knights, in their combined strength, tried again to extract your location from me."

 _Clang. Clang._

The crash of the metal was the only sound drowning out the rapid beating of her heart as it made a steady thud in her ears.

His fingers curled around hers now, intertwined as one entity. She could scarcely tell where his energy stopped and hers began.

"I trained them, Rey!" His voice trembled now. "It took all I had to keep them out...to keep them from you. And it nearly tore me apart—my whole body! I didn't think I could push them out...not all together. But I had to keep them from finding you, from harming you."

"Ben…" She didn't know if she wanted to comfort him or to thank him. It didn't matter, though. Either way, the right words eluded her.

His eyes went to her again, drinking her in.

"I barely escaped." He placed the fingers of his free hand on her chin, cradling it between his thumb and forefinger. "But I clung to life...hoping that maybe...just maybe…"

He tilted his head to the side, drawing nearer. His hand moved from her chin to the wall as he moved his lips closer to her own…

 _Boom!_

In the same moment, the first chunks of shrapnel shot from the sealed passage doorway as the rebels worked their way in. Rey jerked her head reflexively toward the resounding boom.

Ben's hand slid down the wall, thoughtlessly landing on the huge iron door's touch-sensitive control pad.

The door in front of him creaked, shaking off its rusty coat as it slowly lurched upward.

Rey looked from the massive iron door and back to Ben. Did he know this would happen? He caught her eye, noting her expression.

No. He had worked the control panel to operate the doors in the central chamber. But this had caught even him by surprise.

A dim light glowed from behind the gaping doorway as the gate rose steadily upward. At last, the cryptic door revealed its furtive secret.

There, concealed within the depths of Darth Vader's fortress, stood an utterly massive droid army. Thousands upon thousands of them; rows and rows deep within the sprawling room that seemed to stretch out before them for a mile. They were inactive and dusty, but otherwise appeared to be in prime condition.

Rey turned to Ben, a moment of shared amazement flickering between them as they stepped out of the tunnel and into the enormous den of droids.

The Resistance had found its army.


	11. Chapter 11

Finn was the first of the Resistance fighters to charge through the shattered remains of the tunnel's entryway, shouting for Rey as he brandished his blaster in a fit of rage. A dozen other fighters—Rose and Poe among them—rushed in after him with weapons drawn.

Rey, meanwhile, stood frozen inside the sprawling chamber, too awestruck by the seemingly endless sea of battle droids to acknowledge the ruckus of approaching rebels as they sprinted up the adjacent hallway. But the piercing scream of blaster fire caused her to whirl around with a startled jolt.

A single red beam loomed motionless in the air between Finn and Ben, aimed straight at the latter's face. Ben's outstretched right hand had halted the deadly blast in its tracks. In one swift movement, he gave a haphazard flick of his free hand. A moment later, the rebels' blasters seemed to jump from the grips of their wielders into a feeble pile at his feet. He scowled at Finn as he launched the hovering ray of crimson light toward the back wall of the hallway. The blast whizzed just over the head of the seething ex-stormtrooper. Ben, in contrast, appeared more inconvenienced than angered.

Finn glared back at Ben, "Are you alright, Rey?" His words were directed toward his friend, but his eyes remained menacingly fixed on the deposed Supreme Leader.

"I'm fine," she replied in her most reassuring tone. She took a quick breath, intending to say more in an effort to ease the fierce tension of the moment, but before she could muster a response, Poe Dameron's voice broke through the uncomfortable silence.

"Woah!" The young captain's eyes glimmered as he slowly surveyed the contents of the chamber. He stepped forward to inspect the machines more closely, brushing past Ben absent-mindedly as he gaped in wide-eyed delight at the giant droid army before him.

"Captain," Finn glanced back and forth from Ren to his commanding officer, reluctantly removing his stare from his adversary to try to refocus Poe's attention. "Sir, Kylo Ren attacked Rey and her droid escort…"

"It's okay, Finn. Really," Rey interjected quickly.

Finn rounded on her. "No. It is definitely not 'okay.' We busted our asses to get down here to help you and—"

"Unbelievable!" Poe exclaimed, almost wholly to himself, as he fingered the edges of a statuesque droid. He mindlessly rubbed his thumb against the remnants of dust that now clung to the tip of his index finger. "Do you suppose they're still fully functional?"

Captain Dameron had shifted his gaze to Kylo Ren with eager interest, seemingly oblivious to Finn's repeated appeals.

Ben paused a moment as he met the Resistance leader with an inquisitive look, half-scoffing his reply. "However should I know?"

Poe furled his brow, perplexed. "You mean you had no knowledge of these battle droids?"

The air of agitation grew thicker around Ben as he folded his arms defensively, "Believe it or not, I was not made aware of every detail of my dead grandfather's abandoned fortress."

Poe ignored the sardonic tone. "But how did you—?"

"HELLO?!" Finn's interjection rang out through the room, forcibly breaking up the two men's interchange. He took an aggressive step forward, addressing his superior in an unmistakably sour voice.

"Captain Dameron," his eyes narrowed in frustration, "the former Supreme Leader of the First Order just attacked a BB unit and a Resistance fighter. Don't you think we ought to apprehend him? Perhaps bring him before the general?"

For the first time, the captain seemed to register his soldier's concerns. Poe glanced from Ren to Rey before returning his gaze to his disgruntled companion.

"Well," he muttered with a casual shrug, "she said she was alright."

Finn's lips went rigid in cold disbelief.

Poe, observing his friend's dissatisfied scowl, must have deemed it prudent to offer a remedy for the soldier's ire. He raised a scolding finger in Ren's direction. "Now then," he shook his index finger as would a school teacher reprimanding a wayward child, "don't do it again."

Ben gave an apathetic roll of his eyes, but one of the Resistance fighters let out an amused chortle.

Finn rounded on the source of the snicker. "Really, Rose? Even you?"

Rose's expression softened as she reached a hand out to cup his arm in a conciliatory gesture. "I'm sorry, Finn," she began with an apologetic smile, "it's just…"

Her eyes flickered between the two Force-wielders for a moment. "It's like I said before you had us all rush down here…"

Finn jerked his arm away, lips puckered in marked displeasure as if he'd unexpectedly bitten into a bitter lemon.

"This simply was not a Jedi-Sith type of quarrel," she continued softly, trying to coax him into relinquishing some of his anger. "This…" her voice trailed off for a moment as she glanced in Ren's direction, a hint of gentle understanding in her expression. She fixed her eyes back on Finn, "This was a personal matter."

Rey shifted uncomfortably, casting her gaze to the floor to avoid any scrutinizing stares. She'd hoped to give off a somewhat indifferent vibe, though she could not keep the blood from rushing stubbornly to her cheeks.

A familiar, Kashyyyki growl erupted in the hallway. The young scavenger's eyes darted immediately in the direction of that glottal roar. Chewbacca cut a formidable figure in the doorway as the general strode up just behind him, her lips pursed in fatigued exasperation.

Rey almost failed to notice the last of the newcomers. He had entered in such a swift blur of orange and white that only Ben's startled "Ouch!" had alerted her attention to the little droid.

Ben lept back a full pace as the stout BB unit zapped him defiantly— repeatedly— in the knee. Ben was obviously more stunned than harmed, and a bemused chuckle escaped Rey's lips. The sight of the mighty Kylo Ren, former Supreme Leader of the galaxy, jumping backwards to avoid BB-8's largely ineffectual shocks was inarguably funny.

"ENOUGH!" Leia shouted over the fractured scene.

A hushed stillness washed over each of them.

"You lot," the general motioned with unwavering authority to the ten soldiers who'd made up the bulk of Rey's rescue party, "grab your confiscated weapons and head back to the surface with Captain Dameron."

"Poe," she continued, returning her gaze to the captain, "organize a team to get these droids inspected for functionality and combat-readiness immediately."

The captain issued a brisk nod and hastened out of the room with the soldiers.

General Leia paused, she drew her brows together in heated disapproval as she inspected the others.

"You four," she spoke the words slowly as if they weighed heavily on her tongue. "Do I really have to solve _every_ problem in the galaxy?"

Rey averted her gaze from the general, her right hand mindlessly fiddling with the seam of her pants in a mixture of apprehension and contrition.

"Your personal issues cannot continue to disrupt the goals and the mission of the Resistance. You all—Oh, for heaven's sake! Look at me!"

Apparently Rey had not been the only one of the chided group to try to avoid the general's glaring rebuke. Three pairs of eyes jerked reluctantly up from the floor to meet her. Only Ben had kept his stare locked onto his mother as she spoke.

She heaved a tired sigh.

"You!" She wheeled toward Rose first. "If you genuinely think this one is reacting rashly," she made a gesture in Finn's direction, "don't follow along!"

Then it was Finn's turn in the hot seat. "And you need to stop acting like such a hothead!" Leia snapped. "So you don't like Kylo Ren? Fine! That's hardly a rare feature among Resistance sympathizers. But you'll have to figure out how to work with him because we're all going to have to navigate this together. We need him on the J-Sec mission whether you like it or not!"

Finn visibly balked at this, but issued no audible rebuttal.

"Rey," the general turned to face the budding Jedi, "Ben may have initiated the chaos today, but you're a capable woman." She glanced from the girl to her son and back again, scrutinizing them both. "Ambivalence is not an option right now. Be deliberate in your choices."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rey noted Finn's head as he cocked it to one side, signalling his confusion. The general had been subtle enough to be somewhat ambiguous to an onlooker, but her message to the young scavenger was clear: Rey could no longer continue to willfully disregard her feelings for Ben.

Before, Rey had not been prepared to acknowledge them. She'd buried them deep within the recesses of her heart, writing them off as mere pity or compassion. During the previous weeks, when she had pondered the gap that had begun to stretch out between them, she had wondered why he continually refused to let his guard down with her. All the while, she had only been deceiving herself. For she acknowledged now that she had been equally distant and guarded in her interactions with him in locking a piece of herself away; the same part of her which had desperately wanted to be alone with him only minutes ago when he had tossed BB-8 out of the chamber. The part of her that yearned for him to whisper softly in her ear as he caressed her cheek, her hands, her lips…

She couldn't continue to deny the truth to herself.

"And _you!_ " Leia's tone hardened into stone as she rounded on Ben. "You will personally mend any and all scrapes, fractures, or malfunctions on the BB unit until it is in impeccable condition. And you...you…"

Her anger had finally overwhelmed her professional decorum as her words began to sputter.

"Yes...?" Ben gave a self-satisfied half-smile, almost pleased with himself to have successfully broken through his sensible mother's perpetually collected demeanor.

Rey had beheld that mischievous smirk before, but not from Ben. It was the same scheming grin she'd seen form at the corners of Han Solo's mouth. The general must have noted the likeness too, for his defiant expression pushed her over the edge of her restraint.

" _You_ ," she continued bitingly, "could save us all a lot of trouble simply by learning how to approach a girl!"

The general turned on her heels and marched out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Rey heaved an exhausted sigh as she collapsed onto her bed, every inch of her body sore and throbbing from another grueling day of vigorous training. After weeks of extreme physical and mental preparation for the J-Sec mission, it was hardly a novel sensation.

Leia and Poe had finalized the plans for the siege; the army of battle droids would be utterly vital to the Resistance's success. Upon inspection, the general had learned that Lord Vader had commissioned the droids to respond only to him, or—more aptly— only to his blood signature. Ben, as a direct descendent of Vader, had unknowingly been able to open the touch-sensitive panel in the planet core due to his coveted Skywalker blood. As a result, he and his mother alone had the power to issue commands to the battle droids, and although Leia had granted him a fair amount of leeway since his arrival on Mustafar, there was no scenario in which she'd allow the former Supreme Leader even partial control of a massive army of battle droids.

Rey stared at the ceiling above her bed, reviewing once again her role in tomorrow's purge of J-Sec. She, Ben, and R2 would be the first on the ground, and there was no margin for error in their task.

A light knock at the door to her chamber stalled her thoughts. Odd; she hadn't been expecting anyone. Her heart lurched within her for a moment in the hope that it might be _him_ , but she flicked the notion away, begrudgingly surrendering the comfort of her inviting bed to attend to the unexpected arrival.

Captain Dameron rested a hand against her door frame, greeting her with a slight nod. Rey opened her door as a gesture of welcome, but he made no movement toward her threshold, remaining firmly planted in the doorway instead.

"Are you all set for tomorrow?"

The young Jedi suppressed an amused snicker as she considered the subjectivity of the question.

Certainly she knew her part in the attack. She and Ben had simulated their allotted task during their daily trainings to the point where their synchronous execution was practically robotic. Typically, rebel soldiers would have to assemble a small coalition and find a way to bring the enemy's shields down prior to assaulting the target in larger numbers. But the J-Sec mission would require far more awareness and dexterity than simply disabling some shields.

Ben—at the insistence of his mother—had informed the Resistance officers that the entire city of Kestro, J-Sec's home on the planet of Vardos, was merely a highly sophisticated holographic projection. The city had long been thought to be uninhabited after the tumultuous events following the end of the Empire, but it was all part of a massive deception orchestrated by the First Order. No one in the galaxy apart from designated members of the First Order dared near the area, believing it to be a toxic wasteland of radioactivity; and the younglings whom the Order captured were too young to recall J-Sec's location once they'd moved on from it in later years, nonetheless remember its hidden secrets. Here, Hux had been able to hide the kidnapped children for his army in plain sight.

The city's mainframe computer, in the heart of J-Sec itself, housed access to the Kestro hologram. It would be up to the two Force-wielders and their droid accomplice to disable the holographic display, allowing the Resistance to see the city— and J-Sec itself— as it truly was rather than as a false projection.

Ben was absolutely indispensable to the mission. Only he knew the layout of the true city concealed within the hologram. Moreover, he was the only one of their party who was able to provide detailed descriptions of the J-Sec building itself. Although Finn had been held in the facility as a baby, he retained no recollection of the city or of J-Sec. Ben had drawn up maps of the building from memory so that the soldiers of the Resistance (along with the battle droids) would know how to navigate the halls of the building most efficiently. Rey was impressed with how thorough he had been in his efforts, though the full extent of his commitment to their cause remained unclear.

"I'm as 'all set' as I could hope to be under the circumstances." She answered the captain with a shrug of apprehension.

"Listen, Rey," Poe lowered his voice, bringing his face closer to hers as his eyes ran a quick scan of the hall, cautious of unwanted eavesdroppers. "If you even suspect the slightest hint of deception in him tomorrow— anything that makes you remotely uneasy—do whatever you must to disable him."

She nodded her assent. It wasn't the first time Dameron had clarified the duality of her role: dutiful accomplice if all goes well, but fierce adversary in the event that Ben should threaten to undermine the mission in any way. She didn't relish the duplicitous nature of her assignment, but neither could she deny its inherent logic given Ben's past actions.

"All right then," a grin of approval formed at the corners of his mouth. "Get some good rest tonight. You deserve it!"

He tapped resolutely on her door frame before tilting his head toward her in a gesture of good night.

She closed the door quietly and tiptoed back toward the solace of her bed, a tired groan escaping her lips as she sandwiched herself between the downy covers.

Once more, she mentally rehearsed her steps for the following day: board Ben's TIE fighter disguised in stormtrooper garb, follow him to the hidden doorway on the outskirts of Kestro which would allow them to pass through the hologram and enter the real city concealed within. They could get the J-Sec building's entry code easily enough. A simple Jedi mind trick would be sufficient. From there, they would venture to the topmost floor of the building, make for the far east side— taking care to avoid the chemical weapons bay housed in the western quadrant— and disable the hologram with help from R2 (and perhaps some coercion, if it came to that). Though stealth was by far the most desirable tactic for as long as it would hold out.

 _Tap, tap._

Rey sat up in her bed as she regarded the knock at her door, resenting the return of her visitor. What could Captain Dameron possibly want _now_? She moved to place one foot on the floor, but retracted it in the same moment, eyeing the doorknob several feet away from where she lie nestled under her warm sheets. She was so very tired. And she considered that she was able to conjure acts of telekinesis...

In what Rey was certain was the laziest, most shameful use of the Force by any Jedi, she resumed her former supine position and willed the doorknob to turn. Poe would just have to let himself in this time.

"It's open!" she called out, stifling a yawn.

A viscous, coppery bass voiced a reply, "Um...may I?"

Ben rested his fingertips against the doorknob cautiously, one foot over the threshold of her chamber in a tacit petition for entry.

"Ben!" In her surprise, she had barely avoided stammering out his name. She sat up in the bed and brought her feet to the floor in a sitting position. "Sure. Come in."

He took a single step into her chamber, one hand curled into a loose fist at his side, the other tucked behind his back in an air of near princely formality. He paused a moment as if waiting for her to speak first, but she found herself still too startled to master her tongue.

He surveyed the foot of her bed, but in almost the same moment, refocused his gaze to the smooth, oaken chair propped in the corner of her room.

Rey collected herself enough to recall her manners, motioning to the chair he was eyeing. "Please have a seat."

In three broad, graceful strides, he made his way over to the waiting chair and seated himself across from her, retaining his erect, regal posture.

The memory of the first time she'd spotted him in her private sleeping quarters flooded her mind. He hadn't really been present, of course; it had only been a vision through the Force bond.

And she had tried to slaughter him then.

But now? Now, she felt a rush of relief— even comfort— in his presence. And a quiet joy stirred within the hidden nooks of her heart as well.

His gaze fell to hers, a serene quiet looming between them.

"May I...er...is there something you need?" Rey managed at last, curtailing the prolonged silence.

Ben replied abruptly, "You've done well in your training these past weeks." His body was rigid and taut, as if he were holding a piece of himself back.

Rey muttered a hasty, "Thank you," still perplexed by his peculiar behavior.

Ben's left eyelid flickered in a fleeting twitch. She'd seen the expression on him before: conflict, deliberation.

"Ben?" she lowered her voice in gentle supplication.

His calloused hands cupped the curve of the chair's arms as he drew a quick breath, not removing his eyes from hers.

"Tomorrow will be…" his throat bobbed, "difficult."

"Yes…?"

"Some of the things you may see...You won't...You—"

"Ben," she interjected, her voice firm but no less gentle. She angled her body towards him as she spoke. "Is there something...something you haven't told me?"

A tremor tugged at the corner of his tender lips. He shook his head as if waking himself from a troubling dream and rose quickly to his feet, rifling through his pocket as he stood. He extended his right hand toward her.

For a moment, her mind retreated back to the first time he'd reached for her: Snoke's throne room. The way the aching, desperate "Please," had dripped from his lips like mead gone sour.

But this time, something small and smooth rested in the cradle of his waiting palm: a carved, wooden necklace.

"I brought you this," he said at last, eyes darting between Rey and the trinket he carried, as if searching her for a sign of approval.

Her fingers grazed his as she took the little item from his open hand, but she let her skin linger on his a moment longer than was truly necessary.

"The First Order retrieved it from my grandmother's resting place on her home planet of Naboo," he continued steadily.

Rey surveyed the carvings etched into the gift.

"My grandfather is said to have crafted it for her shortly after they first met as a token of good fortune."

Rey's lips curled into a grateful smile. "Thank you," she replied, meeting his eyes warmly.

She knew this was not the only reason for his unscripted visit tonight. The Force, the mutual connection they shared; both clawed at her, screaming out in the knowledge that there was something he had chosen to keep locked away from her. But she deemed it wiser not to press the matter. There was plenty she had kept concealed from him— from herself, even— and it would be unfair to demand full transparency when she herself did not abide by the same standards.

Ben inched closer to where she sat at the side of her bed, his eyes locking onto hers. He took the necklace into his hand again and placed it gingerly around her neck, his fingers brushing against the ivory curve of her neck as the supple leather encircled her.

He beheld her for a moment, a soft smile washing over his lips.

"It's late," he remarked at last. "I should go."

Ben trod toward the doorway, taking a step into the hallway as Rey rose to her feet to see him out.

"Thank you again," her hand went reflexively to clutch at the necklace of japor dangling at her chest.

He turned to address her, his face somber and intent now. "The wrongs I've done, Rey..."

His suddenly altered demeanor caught her off guard. She lifted her soft gaze to meet his now immovable stare.

"...I can never undo them. But I _will_ make them right."

Her inquisitive eyes narrowed.

Her hand still grasped the japor at her neck as he wrapped his strong hands tenderly around hers, nestling them between his agile, masculine fingers.

"And you're not 'nothing,' Rey." His voice was a whisper now; like fresh snow rustling on leaves of winter pine. "You never were. Least of all to me. I hope you can find a way to forgive me."

He gave her hands a tight, parting squeeze and bowed his head to her with a final, "Good night."

The scavenger girl sealed the door behind him and trudged back to the restful splendor of her bed, the smooth chunk of etched wood still curled between her fingers. Her eyes blinked shut. But her restless mind spun in endless circles, hovering over the well of secrets that gaped between them until it finally settled into the surrender of sleep's peaceful embrace.


	13. Chapter 13

It was roughly a 6 mile hike from their landing site on the outskirts of Kestro to the perimeter of the hidden city. They walked at a brisk pace, no need to move stealthily through the abandoned remnants of the surface of Vardos. Even the sky overhead rippled in murky, marred ribbons of gray. The outer regions of the city were nothing more than ramshackle houses in long-emptied neighborhoods. Shops, restaurants, bars, schools—all mere echoes of the now obsolete Empire that had once seized the planet in the oppressive crux of its grasp.

The desolation stretched on before them for as far as Rey's eyes could see. It was only when Ben stopped in his tracks to shrug off the knapsack on his back that she realized they must be approaching the hologram concealing the city.

"Are we close?" Rey followed after Ben, R2 rolling up to her side as she spoke. She let her own backpack slide off her shoulders and onto the ground so she could rummage through it to don her stormtrooper uniform.

"We're here." He replied as he pulled the pristine ivory soldier's apparel from his own sack.

Rey examined their surroundings again. She knew the city was a hologram but…She took a few curious steps forward, moving ahead of her companion. She took another. And another.

"If we're here, and this is a hologram," she questioned him, "why am I not running smack into the wall of the city?"

Ben hopped on a foot as he pulled the lower portion of the uniform over his clothes, securing them above his hips. He yanked off his shirt and chucked it casually into the bag at his feet, chiseled patches of muscle tensing around his chest as he stretched a broad arm through the sleeve of his stormtrooper garb.

Rey felt her eyes linger on the defined V of his firm lower abdomen a moment too long.

"It's a psychological illusion," he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze. She hastened her stare to the ground as if she'd only eyed him in passing, but not before she spotted the flicker of a self-satisfied grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"The moment you stepped past me, you started walking the perimeter," he continued.

She raised an eyebrow in his direction, "But I've been walking in a straight line."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" He popped his head through the hole of the shiny, long-sleeved shirt as he spoke.

Rey glanced once more over her shoulder at the false city that stretched beyond her before turning back to Ben with a shrug.

She paced over to her bag near R2 and began throwing the stormtrooper whites over her clothing. The droid, refurbished for their mission to mimic an archaic, Empire-era R2-Q5, looked nothing like the little white and blue unit of which she'd grown so fond. Granted, she had a deeper history with BB-8, and she would've enjoyed having him accompany her inside the city, but he was needed with Captain Dameron for the day. Nor had the BB unit wanted anything to do with Ben after the incident in the planet core.

The aspiring Jedi glanced around, eyes scanning for the alternate access gate that Ben had spoken of during their preparations. "So which one of these is our entrance?"

Ben shot her a wry smile and lowered his gaze to the pavement at his feet.

She followed his downward stare.

"The sewer?!" He had mentioned that they would enter the city through a lesser-known covert entrance, but he had casually neglected to mention that it involved trudging through a stream of human (and humanoid) waste.

R2 fired off a flurry of beeps in his objection.

"Relax," Ben assured him, raising his hands shoulder level in mock surrender. "We're still planning to get you in through the main gate."

At this, the feisty droid replied with a soft whir of resigned consent.

"Here," Ben motioned to Rey as he crouched to his knees, fingers grazing the rusted metal surface of the sewer entrance below them. "Give me a hand."

Rey brought one knee to the ground as she moved to acquiesce, but a fierce, high-pitched cry pierced the air. Her eyes locked onto Ben's, his startled expression mirroring her own. In unison, the two Force-wielders reached their hands out before them, summoning their stormtrooper helmets into their respective grasps. They each thrust the bulky objects over their heads in a single, swift motion. The displaced leader of the First Order and the last of the Jedi were far too identifiable without their faces concealed.

"AAAAAHHH!"

The intense scream pounded against her ears again, more powerful this time. Its source was moving in their direction— and it had a distinctly human timbre.

Rey dashed behind an old, grounded land cruiser, Ben leaping to follow behind her as R2 rolled quickly to her other side.

A thrum of swiftly approaching footsteps grew louder as the source of the uproar came hurtling into view: two human boys. The older of the two couldn't be more than 6 years old. His tiny companion—maybe only 2 or 3—was bleeding at the arm. The 6 year old cradled the smaller boy laboriously in his arms, glancing over his shoulder as he darted into the street.

A shriek cut through the air again, coming from the smaller boy's lips. His face was streaked with tears, contorted in a wince of pain.

Rey turned her head to meet Ben's eyes. He gave her a quiet nod. But before they could make a move in the boys' direction, a blast of white concentric circles whipped through the air behind the older boy, knocking him unconscious from his feet. The two year old fell to the ground at an all out wail, clutching his tender arm to his body.

A pair of stormtroopers sprinted toward the children with blasters drawn. The shorter of the two scooped up the stunned 6 year old as the taller one grabbed the screaming child by his good arm, dragging him back from where they came.

"That's enough out of you!" His voice was gruff and callous as he shouted at the quivering toddler.

Rey felt her lip tremble, curling into a furious scowl. She fumbled for the blaster at her side, only to recall that it was still tucked away in the folds of her hastily abandoned backpack.

Her bare hands would have to do.

She thrust herself to her feet, hurtling the full breadth of the cruiser in one graceful leap and landing only feet away from the soldiers with her hand outstretched before her.

The soldiers were frozen where they stood, immobile under the power of her Force grip. Her brows furled together under her helmet in a dark, vicious leer.

The young scavenger struggled to keep her voice steady, "You will set these boys down gently and walk away from the city. And you will never return."

She released the pair from her paralyzing Force grip. A moment later, the short trooper placed the 6 year old gingerly on the hard ground, as if putting a sleeping child into his waiting bed. He turned on his heels and wandered off into the clutter of the dead planet. Likewise, the tall one set the crying 2 year old at his feet and moved to follow his shorter companion.

But in the same moment, his free hand shot toward the blaster at his side. He lifted it in Rey's direction, shouting into his coms as he pushed frantically at the small send-receive device nestled in his ear, "Help! Send back up! Send—"

The tall man coughed and sputtered, words cut off mid-sentence as the blaster tumbled haphazardly to the ground. Ben strode up beside Rey, his right hand shook in silent fury as he curled it into a violent fist. The Dark Force-wielder launched the trooper high into the air, letting him fall with a chilling splat onto the rough pavement of the street.

Rey shuddered at the sickening _crack_ of bones shattering. Ben hurled the crumpled body through a nearby window pane. Splintered glass rained to the ground in sharp, crystalline fragments.

A thunder of boots lapping hard against the pavement echoed in the distance. Rey bolted to the 2 year old's side as Ben hurried to cradle the still unconscious older boy.

Nearly a dozen troopers were running toward them with blasters at the ready.

This time, Ben reacted first. He lobbed the 6 year old over his shoulder like a sack of flour and shot his free hand into the air in a wave of amicable welcome. "We've got them!" He called out to the approaching squad.

The troopers slowed their approach, a few of them glancing from the unexpected calm of the situation ahead and back to one another, obviously perplexed.

The one in the center addressed Ben directly as he neared. "What happened?"

Ben shuffled the boy at his shoulder back into a cradled position. "Sorry. False alarm. We saw some strange movement in the distance, but it was just this older R2 unit. It must have wandered out of the city somehow. Probably needs to be examined for malfunctions."

R2 took his cue immediately, rolling quietly out from his hiding place behind the beat up old cruiser.

Center guy shook his head in frustration, "So not only did the two of you let these recruits— these babies—escape from the shuttle in the first place, you were startled by an antique, misplaced droid?"

Ben shrugged.

Rey pursed her lips under her mask, a wave of hostility swallowing her as she clutched the sobbing two year old to her side; though she was making a concentrated effort not to appear too concerned with the youngling's well-being. It was fortunate that Ben had initiated conversation with the soldiers first. She didn't have the composure to fabricate a convincing story at the moment, nor to throw her voice an octave or so to mimic a stormtrooper male.

Center let out a frustrated sigh, clearly chagrined at his inferiors' incompetence. "Whatever. Just bring 'em all along." He cursed as he began to turn his back on the pair, then added over his shoulder, "But you're both on latrine duty for two weeks!"

They followed the troopers beyond another long stretch of city rubble. Rounding a corner, Rey concealed a shudder as she beheld a crowd of younglings—human and humanoid alike—clustered outside of a docked shuttle. Several stormtroopers encircled the captured children, each chained at the ankles, one to the other in a single line. Rey spotted a gaping hole in the line, featuring two pairs of emptied shackles that lie open on the ground, both cleaved completely in two.

She surveyed the child cradled in Ben's arms before examining the two year old that wept at her chest. How had they managed to escape?

Center pressed a finger lazily to his ear and muttered something over his coms.

The ground beneath her seemed to tremble as the resounding creak of metal against metal clanged around them.

Impossibly, miraculously the city before her contorted into a widening, gaping maw. It was as if the very air encircling them had shifted, morphing into a door to another world.

The city within— the _true_ city of Kestro— gleamed in brilliant, metallic whites overlaid with modern, shining pillars of onyx. Even the sky within dazzled in perfect ombre strips of blue. The pristine city towered in stark contrast with the meager grays that haunted the skies of the rest of the planet, looming over its crumbling streets and dilapidated mounds of fractured stone and tattered wood.

She felt a trembling at her arms, the child she carried had begun to quiver in abject terror as the group of them marched beyond the city gates. Surveying his tear-stricken face among the marble arches of the ivory city, her heart grew heavy. How could a place so immaculately beautiful be so corrupted by darkness?

Ben drew nearer to her side, nudging her to keep toward the back alongside R2 as they traversed the city street with the rest of the platoon.

The Jinata Security building cut a beautiful, wicked figure in the city's center; a massive structure that spanned several city blocks and lurched skyward for hundreds of feet. She marveled at it even as she cursed its vile purpose.

Close enough to whisper without being overheard, Ben spoke in a hushed tone, "Not how we'd planned to get in, but we made it inside nonetheless."

"We cannot fail," she whispered, shifting the little one gingerly in her arms as she trudged ahead. "We have to get them out—we just have to."

"We will. I promise you. And not just these two, but all of them." His soft, honeyed bass sent a warm wave of reassurance over her body as if he'd wrapped her in a flannel blanket.

They entered into J-Sec under a swell of silence. Even the babe in her arms had exhausted himself with crying.

She looked once more toward Ben and the 6 year old still motionless in his arms. All their meticulous planning was moot now. They would simply have to improvise. But whatever the cost, they would break these poor children out of this twisted prison— and they would do it together.


	14. Chapter 14

At the officer's command, Rey reluctantly placed the now sleeping toddler into the cold, robotic grasp of one of the dozens of caretaker droids awaiting them in the J-Sec sorting chamber. One droid for every child. The robot punctured the little child's arm with a small syringe and he quivered at the sharp prick of the needle, but did not awake under the pain.

Rey scanned the chamber for Ben. She caught sight of his towering figure across the room. He had already handed over the unconscious child he'd been carrying and was now speaking to another stormtrooper in hushed tones.

As Rey approached, his speech grew terse.

"Yes sir." He lifted his shoulders in what seemed to be obedient acquiescence and turned sharply toward the exit in a hard 180°.

She fell in stride behind him, R2 already tailing him into the hallway.

In the same moment, her senses curdled. A crippling darkness wound itself around her like bands of tattered linen around a corpse gone cold.

Something was very wrong. She'd have taken notice of it sooner had she not been so heartbroken at the sight of the abducted children.

She quickened her pace, abreast with him. The pair were unremarkable now, blending in with the din of the bustling passageway.

Her lips parted to speak, but his voice rustled in a soft, easy tone, anticipating her enquiry.

"I know," he nodded curtly, not turning his face to meet hers. "I feel it too."

"But what is it?"

He made a sharp turn down an adjacent corridor to their left. She followed.

The resounding patter of footsteps off the granite walls were far fewer here, each one all the more ostentatious in contrast to the bustling main corridor.

He lowered his voice, "I told the trooper I'd take R2 for inspection. I wanted to make sure he'd stay with us."

"Ben, something isn't right," her whispered words fell with a thud to the floor between them. "Whatever it is, it's something we didn't plan for and I—"

"I'll go check it out."

Her body lurched at this in a visible balk as Ben ushered the three of them through the door of a nearby elevator.

The instant the door slammed shut behind them, she jerked the helmet from her head.

" _You'll_ go check it out? _Alone_?" Her brow narrowed in marked skepticism.

Ben's hand reflexively snapped to the brim of his own helmet, snatching it off in a smooth, practiced motion.

A furrowed frown twitched at his pink lip.

"Rey," his rhythmic bass pulsed with sincerity, "I don't blame you for distrusting me, but I won't pretend that it doesn't sting."

Her teeth buckled over the inside of her lips. To doubt him was justifiable, but the hurt tugging at his brow was enough to stall her doubts.

"Either we do nothing and proceed as planned, or one of us searches the place. We can't both go looking for it because it could jeopardize the mission. Would you rather trust me to take down the hologram for the Resistance? Or to case the building?"

He was right. They couldn't move forward in their plans with an elusive darkness looming over the mission, but they couldn't keep the Resistance waiting either. They had to split up the tasks.

"You go then," she acquiesced with a nod.

"Okay." He popped the helmet back on as he continued. "You get to the top floor. And remember to stick to the east side."

Rey concealed her face again as Ben brought the elevator to a stop at the nearest floor.

"Head up. I'll come find you."


	15. Chapter 15

Rey scanned the aisle as she stepped off of the lift with her droid counterpart. The primary entrance to the east wing was only a few paces to her left. During their preparations in the weeks leading up to the mission, Ben had been clear that guards were positioned before the entrance at all times. And yet, the hallway— both before and behind her— was completely barren.

The stillness was unsettling.

"Something's wrong," she mused.

R2 sounded back softly with an affirming _beep._

She approached the entryway cautiously; the door parted before her as if in welcome.

Ben's reconstructed blueprints of the summit of the J-Sec building had been so ingrained in Rey's mind that she walked it with the familiarity of one who'd traversed its halls a thousand times. Despite her temerity in navigating the space before her, that same foreboding darkness continued to sink its claws deep into the meaty core of her senses.

A seemingly endless hall of shining onyx stretched out before her. The only sound the reverberation of the heel of her boots as she hefted them in a tympanic thrum against the steel below. The area seemed a void of unoccupied space. She'd not seen as much as a droid— apart from R2— roaming about, nonetheless a stormtrooper or an officer. J-Sec's most crucial level was akin to a ghost town. At this rate, it seemed she was all set to simply stride right into the control room unhindered and usher the Resistance fighters in without—

The cold realization swallowed her as if she'd plunged through the ice of a frozen lake.

 _They know we're coming._

The Resistance was walking into a trap. She had to warn them; had to get them to turn back.

And yet, the only way to contact them now was to drop the Kestro hologram to re-establish communication outside the city. The First Order would be able to trace her warning and, in all likelihood, loose an attack upon the waiting Resistance ships. But if she _didn't_ warn them, they'd be sitting ducks anyway. In either case, the element of surprise was lost and the Resistance was in great danger. There was no turning back on the plan now.

Rey called out to R2 as she sprinted into the control room. "It's a trap! We have to hurry!"

She tossed her helmet haphazardly to the floor of the chamber as the little droid scurried to interface with the First Order control network.

Within a matter of seconds, the long-elusive city of Kestro became visible to the naked eye from beyond the city gates.

"Send a message to the Resistance. Tell them the First Order knows they're coming."

In the same moment, the young Jedi heard a rustling at the control room doorway; the soft creak of steel giving way under foot. Her head reflexively whipped around, shoulders following as her arms extended into an attack pose.

A pair of soft, curious eyes gazed back at her, but instantly recoiled at the sight of her contorted, aggressive glare.

Rey's expression ebbed into alarm as she realized that the unexpected intruder was a mere child. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he bolted into the hallway and out of sight.

She took off after him.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't—"

The child gave a quick glance over his shoulder before picking up speed.

"Please! I want to help you!"

The boy was fast, but Rey was faster, and her longer strides were quickly closing the gap between them.

But not quickly enough.

A gasp escaped the rim of her lips as she watched the little child disappear through the doorway into the western portion of the building, the door slamming shut directly behind him.

She didn't even slow her pace. The Resistance would be here soon. They had to save as many children as possible and she'd be damned if she'd leave this youngling behind. Moreover, a chemical weapons bay was no place for a child to go running about.

Rey raced through the doors of the western corridor.

The scene before her sent a chill coursing through her body that froze her feet in place as if enclosed in weights of solid steel.

Children.

Dozens and dozens of them; humanoid, alien, male, and female.

Only two or three spared a glance in Rey's direction as she entered the room. The rest were preoccupied playing— either with toys or with other children nearby. Many seemed wholly unperturbed by their captive circumstances.

One little boy, however, had not taken his eyes from Rey since she'd stepped into the chamber. His eyes were red from crying and patches of caked dirt clung to his face where they'd mingled with his tears. She recognized him instantly— the 6 year old whom Ben had carried into the building. She scanned the room for his smaller companion, but he was nowhere in sight.

A ball whizzed passed Rey's ear as one of the younglings nearest to her reached out to catch it. Except the child didn't really _catch_ the ball. He stood with hands outstretched, the ball looming before him as it hovered in mid-air a few inches from his palms. In the next moment, without placing a finger on the orb, he sent it hurling back to his playmate who "caught" it in the same manner.

The gravity of the dark reality shook her core with merciless ferocity.

The children in the western sector— all of them— were Force-sensitive. It wasn't a weapons bay— at least, not in the way she'd understood it. The children themselves were being groomed to _be_ the weapons!

Her gaze fell back to the child whom Ben had helped into the J-Sec building. A small, pin-prick drop of crusted blood left its mark on the soft flesh of his upper arm. The First Order was systematically testing the midichlorian levels of the children to gauge their Force-sensitivity.

He was a Force-wielder. That must have been how he'd managed to escape his bonds when she'd first seen him running from the guards.

And Ben. Seething hot anger foamed within her. He had misled her completely; had told her repeatedly to avoid the western sector so that she would not be a witness to this unspeakable cruelty. She had known that there was something he'd kept hidden away from her. The sensation had been more palpable last night than ever before.

 _The wrongs I've done, Rey...I can never undo them. But I will make them right!_

He'd known. He'd likely even had a hand in it. And he had kept it hidden from her.

Suddenly, a red light blinked overhead.

In unison, the children— all save the newest little boy— abandoned their playthings as quickly as if they'd caught fire and scurried to the perimeter of the room. They lined it in practiced perfection, forming a single file queue from corner to corner.

At length, the one she'd met outside the city, noticing the movements of the others, scrambled to follow suit and find a place against the wall.

The chamber door burst open in a single, powerful gust.

Three figures entered the room— one at a march, one at a saunter, and the last with the slumped, effortful gait of a man bound in cumbersome chains.

"Ben!" Rey gasped at the sight of him; hands cuffed behind his back and shackled to thick, iron restraints that encircled his ankles.

Nearly three dozen stormtroopers burst in behind them, blasters trained on Rey.

Her hand went reflexively to her side to grasp for the security of her weapon. Only then did she recall that she'd left her lightsaber in one of R2's compartments, and they'd been separated when she'd chased after the child. She was utterly defenseless.

A high, delighted cackle spilled from the piercing red lips of a woman clutching Ben's right arm.

She took an inquisitive step toward Rey, scrutinizing the young Jedi from head to toe. With a flick of her wrist, she coolly flipped a long cluster of ebony hair over the crook of her shoulder.

Rey's brows knitted together in wordless opposition, glaring at the raven-haired woman with a disgusted scowl. Yet she couldn't help but notice that this woman— though the the Dark Side dripped from her like a bucket newly drawn from a well— was strikingly beautiful.

She circled Rey with the eager, predatory anticipation of a lioness that had just cornered a wounded gazelle.

"Really, Ren?" the woman chided Ben playfully, striding back in his direction. " _This_ is the reason you forfeited your throne?" She scoffed and added, "She isn't much to look at, is she?"

Ben's lips drew a firm line. "Drusilla, just let her go, please! This isn't about her. You don't need to—"

Drusilla's hand cut through the air in a flash, striking Ben sharply on the crest of his cheekbone. In the same moment, she cupped his chin in the palm of her hand and forced his lips to meet hers.

Rey balked, but steadied herself as the gathered stormtroopers extended their blasters threateningly at the first sign of movement from her.

"Drusilla, enough of your toying about. Let's get on with it." The man that stood at Ben's opposite side had taken a step back, crossing his arms in a vexed, authoritative stance.

"Dear brother," Drusilla shot him a droll look, as she withdrew her hands from Ben's cheek, "can't you even indulge me a little?"

Her brother rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Oh, very well," she turned toward Rey again with a cruel, amused smile. "What do you think of our little recruiting facility, my dear?"

"I think it's vile," Rey shot back.

"Pity. I would've thought you'd have been more supportive of our darling Ren's realized dreams."

The young Jedi's lips morphed from grimace to frown.

"Oh, yes. This isn't a vestige of Snoke's vision— not at all! This was all the design of our master, Kylo Ren."

" _Your_ master?"

Drusilla smirked. "Yes. Master of the Knights of Ren. My brother Ajax and I were so very grateful to Ren for dreaming up this delightful little system! There are only six of us at a time, you know. Replacements have to be scouted and trained up somehow."

Rey's lip quaked as the extent of Ben's involvement in the cruel system became clear. There were so many children here, but only six Knights of Ren at a time…

She gaped at him, her heart breaking as the truth unfolded before her.

"And what…" she swallowed hard, barely able to choke out the rest of her crushing thought, "what happens to the ones that _don't_ become one of you? The ones that aren't strong enough?"

Drusilla only cocked her head to one side, lips pursed in a silent confirmation of the horrifying, deadly truth.

"Rey," Ben's trembling voice broke through the grave stillness of the moment, "I was going to tell you everything after we got them out. I just—"

"Quiet. Or I'll have a trooper shoot her in the leg," Ajax barked.

Ben froze, slamming his lips shut.

Drusilla laughed again. "My god, but you are his greatest vulnerability! And here I had imagined that he and I had something powerful before; our shared command of the Dark Side and all."

For a moment, the glint of amusement seemed to ebb from her voice, riddled instead with the hum of vengeful bitterness.

"At any rate, using you as leverage made apprehending him all too easy."

Rey's eyes narrowed.

"All we had to do was threaten to flood the eastern sector with toxic gas. He surrendered without as much as a cross word."

Rey knew it was true; it explained how the eastern sector of the floor had been so empty.

"How did you know we were here?" Rey asked at last. She knew for certain that Ben hadn't betrayed her by tipping them off. This was hardly an uplifting reunion for the two Knights of Ren and their estranged master.

Drusilla took an aggressive step towards Rey, placing herself only inches from the scavenger's face. "You're not the only one who can sense him from leagues away, sweetheart."

She pulled back again, a sinister grin spreading to the corners of her perfect lips. "Lucky we were here. The Knights don't usually come out to the facility all too often. Your timing was absolutely serendipitous. But now that you're here," she paused, nearly glowing with wicked delight, "you're going to die."

"NO!" Fear and rage coated Ben's voice.

Drusilla rounded on him, hand extended before her as she grasped at thin air. Ben's hands groped reflexively for his neck.

She was choking him.

"Really, Drus," Ajax drew nearer his sister and placed a restraining hand upon hers so that she relented. "This is exhausting. The Resistance is at the gates and we need to get a move on. Enough of the theatrics."

He turned to meet Rey's hardened expression. "Now then. It's quite simple, really. Either you let us execute you without a fight, or we turn the firing squad on the children here."

Rey shuddered. "What?!"

"I'm not going to repeat myself. You heard me the first time."

In the same moment, Ben's chains cleaved in two, freeing his hands. Hearing Rey's life openly threatened, he no longer willfully kept his powers at bay.

"Ben, no!" Rey shouted. "I'll do it!"

"Rey, you can't—" his voice— his whole body— seemed to quiver with a dark fire.

"I can't let them murder innocent children!"

"There's a smart girl," Ajax said, more in appreciation for a conclusion to the drama than in the derisive or mocking spirit of his sister.

Ajax grabbed Rey by the arm and dragged her to the nearest wall, swatting the children out of the way.

A half dozen stormtroopers lined up, facing the young Jedi directly.

She glanced toward Ben, a tear beginning to stream down her cheek.

"Rey," his voice broke as he strained to fight back the tears. "I'm so sorry."

She couldn't gather the composure to speak. Instead, her hand went to her chest, cupping the place beneath her stormtrooper uniform where the japor pendant still hung at her neck.

The firing squad cupped their blasters, awaiting the command.

Drusilla spoke first, a satisfied, victorious grin taking shape at her lips.

"Ready. Aim…"

 _BAM!_

As one, every stormtrooper in the room collapsed to the floor, bodies limp and immobile as if paralyzed.

Ajax reacted first. He drew his lightsaber, moving to strike, but Rey brought her free hand out before her and gathered all the strength of the Force she could muster to send him hurling across the room.

"No!" Drusilla shouted, rounding on Rey with eyes aflame in confusion and fury.

A flurry of frantic beeps whirred at the doorway as R2 stormed into the chamber. Immediately, he opened his inner compartment and launched Ben's and Rey's lightsabers into the air.

Ben seized his weapon and charged at Drusilla.

Rey nodded to R2 as she shouted to the children. "The door! All of you! To the door! R2, you have to get them out of here now! Take them to the Resistance and get them out! We'll follow you!"

Ajax was starting to stir on the opposite side of the chamber, but the stormtroopers still lie motionless on the ground.

Ben took a swipe at Drusilla, scorching the flesh of her upper arm. She recoiled with a scream of pain, clutching at the fresh wound.

Rey and Ben exchanged glances. They made for the doorway and leapt into the hall, slamming the door shut behind them as they raced to follow the children.

"What happened?" Rey said, panting as she bolted down the corridor astride Ben.

"Sonic warfare."

"What?!"

"Sound waves that attack the auditory nerve. They can render a person immobile, if calibrated correctly. R2 must have triggered it over the comms system within the whole building somehow. Anyone equipped with an earpiece or a helmet plugged into the comms system would've been paralyzed by the blast."

Rey was in awe over the little droid's heroism. No wonder Master Luke had kept him so close at hand all these years.

R2 was ushering the last group of children onto the lift as Ben and Rey approached.

"Quickly, children! Quickly!" Rey urged.

At that moment, Rey felt herself swept from her feet and thrust hard against the wall of the corridor at her back. She fell to the floor, wind knocked from her lungs from the magnitude of the blow.

Ajax burst into the hall with eyes set starkly on Rey, his brows furrowed in unwavering wrath.

Ben let out a fearsome growl, positioning himself between the dark knight and the shaken Rey.

Ajax swooped down on his former master.

Ben raised his lightsaber to defend against the coming blow as he shouted toward Rey, "Hurry! Onto the lift! Now!"

She could barely breathe, but she drew herself clumsily to her feet. Suddenly, a handful of troopers, helmets removed, charged through the entryway from the east wing. Rey hastened onto the lift, motioning for Ben to follow.

Ajax was bearing down on him, their lightsabers flashing in a whirl of fiery crimson as the stormtroopers trickled into the hallway, blasters drawn.

"Ben! Come on!" Rey called out.

In a moment that moved faster than Rey could process it, Ben jabbed his outstretched palm against the lift's control panel.

"Get to safety," he whispered to her as he slammed the doors closed, leaving Rey and the children enclosed safely within the elevator.

"Ben! No!"

She pounded her fist in futility against the lift door.

But it was too late. They were already plummeting toward the ground floor, leaving an outnumbered Ben to defend himself alone.


	16. Chapter 16

Swirls of silvery smoke sifted into the lift as they approached the ground floor. Rey took a deep breath, steadying her churning emotions as she clutched her lightsaber in cold anticipation.

The lift doors shot open before her. Shrill screams of blaster fire tore through the endless fog of smoke that billowed throughout the hallway. Dozens of stormtrooper helmets littered the floor where the soldiers had abandoned them, fearful of another sonic attack. Some troopers stood their ground, weapons trained on the enemy. Others darted in a scurry of panic as they sought to escape the sea of Resistance battle droids that had overtaken the massive corridor.

Ahead, Rey caught sight of several Resistance soldiers sprinkled throughout the chaos. They were rushing scores of captive children out of the building.

"R2! Get the children to the exit! I'll cover you!"

A cluster of the stormtroopers, still standing firm against the attack, caught sight of Rey and the younglings.

A moment later, deadly beams of crimson sizzled toward her from the mouths of half a dozen blasters. Rey's hands bolted reflexively in a rapid dance, her lightsaber tucked neatly within her palms as its silvery light pierced the air around her, deflecting each life-threatening blow.

The Resistance battle droids closed in on the trooper's right flank, forming a barrier between Rey and the oncoming fire.

A familiar voice called to her over the thundering commotion.

Only feet away, Rose was motioning urgently to her Jedi friend with one hand, her other arm cradling a baby not yet old enough to walk. Finn was ahead of her, charging toward the exit with a small group of younglings trailing close behind him. Battle droids flanked them protectively on either side.

Rey urged the children forward and sped toward her friend.

"That's the last of the children! Let's get out of here!" Rose shouted above the clamor.

"Take them to the ships with you! I can't leave without Ben!"

Rose scanned the frantic scene around them, eyes widening with the realization that Ben was nowhere in sight. She drew in a quick breath as if preparing to argue, but offered only a curt nod of understanding before gripping the baby firmly in both arms and running astride the other children in Finn's direction.

In the same moment, the large metal doorways lining both sides of the hallway shot up. Rows upon rows of helmetless stormtroopers were flooding the hallway. Their blaster fire emitted a stream of deadly crimson ribbons, bringing dozens of Resistance battle droids crumbling to the ground.

Rey instinctively darted to the tail end of the fleeing children, positioning herself between them and the attacking troopers. She twirled her saber through the air, warding off a flurry of oncoming shots.

But the troopers were becoming too numerous now. Many of the battle droids had already retreated from the hallway to protect the children already escaping to the ships. The others were being cut down as the troopers stormed the hall. The First Order fighters were beginning to overwhelm the Resistance droids that remained.

The stormtroopers charged nearer, their numbers still growing as they continued to pour into the hall. The blaster shots were becoming too many for Rey to keep fending off. Sweat beaded at her brow as she whirled her lightsaber from side to side; a streak of silver encompassed her as she fought desperately to keep the oncoming fire from striking the children. Yet she could only look on helplessly as a single crimson ray of light whizzed by her, aimed directly at Rose's fleeing form.

In the same moment, the scene whirling all around her grew as still as if captured in a photograph.

The torrent of unrelenting blaster fire now hovered motionlessly above the floor; the shot that had evaded Rey's lightsaber was now suspended in mid-air, only inches from Rose's alarmed face. Every stormtrooper— perhaps a hundred of them or more— was frozen where he stood, feet fixed firmly to the floor, lingering in a prolonged pose.

The small crew of Resistance fighters exchanged awed looks as they realized that only the few remaining droids, the children, and themselves had retained the ability to move.

Rey's emotions lurched as she felt the pull of him before she spotted him.

From the second floor balcony, Ben towered over the battle below; his arms were outstretched in obvious struggle as he clutched at every ounce of his power to subdue the First Order fighters.

"Run," he whispered, a tremor of strain embedded in his vocalic bass.

Rey frowned. Ben could render the First Order army impotent this way for a time and allow the Resistance to escape, but the moment he relented, he would be overwhelmed by the sheer number of stormtroopers that crowded the hall. And there would be too many of them to take on— even for one as strong as he.

On impulse, Rey stretched her arms out before her. She breathed deeply, allowing herself to weigh the ebb and flow of Ben's power all around her. She summoned the Light within her to come to his aid, alleviating the demand of the Force upon him. The young Jedi's power fell over the First Order army like a fine sheet of pure Light, holding them steady where they stood.

Feeling the bulk of the burden lift from him, Ben lept from the balcony and landed on the floor at Rey's side in a slight crouch. He rose swiftly, keeping his arms outstretched as his eyes locked onto hers.

"You can't stay here," he whispered. "Their numbers are too great. I'll hold them off as long as I can to give you all time to escape."

Rey stood her ground unyielding. She did not remove her gaze from him as she spoke. "Rose, Finn. Take the children. Run!"

Finn's voice called back, a muffled sob catching in the folds of his throat, "No, Rey! We won't leave you!"

The young Jedi at last pulled her stare from Ben's face to address her friend. "Finn, you and Rose have to take the children to safety. You need to—"

The words at her lips contorted to screams as the searing pain of a blaster shot caught her left side. Her hand jerked protectively to the newly-torn wound. Rey felt her concentration give way; agony coursed through her body.

A scream of jagged rage erupted from Ben's lips as he watched Rey topple to her knees.

A piercing cackle echoed through the hall as a manic Drusilla forced her way through the crowd of frozen First Order troopers with a blaster at her uninjured arm.

Ben buckled, the full weight of the Force once again wholly upon him.

The remnants of the Resistance droids unloaded on the Dark woman.

She dropped the blaster to the floor and stretched her hand out before her, seizing hold of each oncoming shot and suspending them in the air. In a single motion, she launched the shots back towards the droids, striking them down with their own fire.

"Finn, Rose, RUN! NOW!" Rey screamed through clenched teeth.

For a fleeting moment, Finn's brows furrowed in fear and grief, but he ushered the children out behind Rose, turning to gaze back at his dear friend once more before bolting through the exit behind the children.

Rey watched as Ben's eyes darted in rapid succession from Drusilla to herself. His whole body trembled as he strained to keep the army of soldiers and their blaster fire immobile. If he relented to confront Drusilla, Rey and Ben would immediately be overwhelmed by the sea of soldiers.

The figures around the scavenger girl were beginning to blur now; the cold crept over her skin. She felt as if she were standing at the precipice of consciousness, one inch more and she would plummet into darkness as the inescapable effects of shock claimed her.

Drusilla stopped only feet from them, surveying Rey still on her knees as she gripped the bleeding gash at her side.

"Well, Ren," that mocking, syrupy tone oozed from her toxic tongue, "you killed my brother today. And now I'm going to kill someone you love. Let's call it even."

The last word had barely escaped her lips before her mouth morphed from a taunting smirk to a gape of abject terror. Drusilla's form rose slowly above the crowded hall, farther and farther into the air. Her arms and legs flailed in futile protest, desperate to free herself of the Force that had seized power over her.

Rey's blurred gaze darted to Ben, but his surprised expression mirrored her own.

A thunderous, commanding voice called out from behind them, echoing from every corner of the massive hall.

"NO!"

As one, Ben and Rey turned their gaze to the source of the resounding voice.

Leia's silhouette towered at the center of the exit door, her arms outstretched before her. She had not averted her eyes from the horrified Drusilla whose flailing body she still clutched in her Force grip, dangling the woman in the air dozens of feet overhead as if she were a limp puppet.

Only when Leia met her gaze did Rey survey the full intensity of the fearsome woman before her. The creases of her forehead furrowed in dangerous, unyielding resolution. And perhaps Rey's weakened state deceived her, but she thought she saw— if only for a moment— a flash of golden amber flicker in the general's iris.

Leia set her focus on Ben alone. Each word spoken as softly as if whispered in a child's lullaby. "Take the Jedi girl and go."

Rey looked at Ben. The army before them remained as motionless as a still pond, but he no longer trembled under the weight of the Force. A lump gathered in Rey's throat as the ponderous realization pressed down upon her.

Leia was staying behind.

"Mother," he issued back in a shaky, breathy bass, "you'll die."

"I've been dying a little bit every day since I lost you all those years ago. If there's still a chance that you can be the man I always dreamed you'd be when I first held you in my arms, then I'd live and die this way a thousand times over to make it so."

Rey watched as Ben's lip trembled; the whites of his eyes reddened as a tear cascaded down his cheek.

"Mother, _please_."

Rey had heard that same, desperate whisper of "please" from him once before in what now seemed like another lifetime.

Blackness clouded the budding Jedi's vision. She was losing control now.

"Go, my son. GO!" Unshakable resolve coated the general's voice— she was neither to be tested nor tried in this. She would not yield. This was not a request. It was an order.

"Your father and I love you," she whispered.

The last fleeting fumes of consciousness seeped from Rey. She saw nothing, heard nothing. She sensed only the warmth of Ben's arms as they encircled her, lifting her from the ground. He held her trembling body tight against his heaving chest.

And the darkness took her.


	17. Chapter 17

Teetering waves grazed stony shores in a gentle whisper. Rey had not yet mustered the strength to open her eyes, but she already knew her surroundings. The cadence of the wavering water and the salty fragrance permeating the air mingled together to greet her with the comfortable familiarity of an old friend's embrace.

Her eyelids fluttered open, the images around her bleary and dim as her weary eyes struggled to drink in the scene.

The stone walls lining her small Ahch-To hut arched above her in a protective dome of welcome. The room was precisely as she remembered it, though the Caretakers had completely mended the hole she'd mistakenly blown through the walls all those months ago when the Force connection had first fused her mind with Ben's.

She sat up with a bolt as the memories of the J-Sec mission bombarded her, anchoring her in the moment. The sudden movement merged the room around her into a swirl of grays and browns.

"Ben?! B—"

The words had barely escaped her lips before the sound of boots on stone echoed through the small dwelling.

In what seemed to be the same moment, the door swung open to reveal Ben's silhouette. He hastened to her in eager strides before kneeling directly at her bedside and cupping her face in his hands.

"Rey," her name, though breathed no louder than a tender whisper, fell from his lips in a thousand scattered shards.

His skin-generally a milky, porcelain white-had grown ashen. Soft hues of gray and purple tugged at the crescents beneath his chestnut eyes.

"Your mother," she whispered. "Ben, your mother!"

She felt his grip on her cheeks tighten, as if clinging to her to keep her from slipping away.

He said nothing, but his silence roared its bitter, deadly truth.

Leia was gone.

Rey raised a hand to his, clutching it within her grasp in a gesture of wordless solidarity. Tears pooled in her eyes, as salty as the sea that encircled the small island.

His eyes, though desperate for sleep, bore no signs of crying; but his pain blanketed him in a tangible darkness.

"I thought I'd lost you, too," he whispered at length, fingers still pressed firmly to the supple skin of her now tear-streaked cheeks. "You were losing so much blood. But I thought that if I could get you here—get you to a source of the Light. Then maybe. Maybe…"

Rey felt herself choking back the sobs that threatened to erupt from deep within her. She let her fingers burrow deep into the dark mass of his hair.

"I'm sorry, Ben. I'm so sorry," she whispered, continuing to stroke him softly.

Her mind darted back to the night in the Mustafar tunnels; the way his eyes had burned into hers, his fingers grazing her skin softly, sensuously as his parted lips drew ever nearer to hers.

She felt her hunger for him churning within her, that treacherous desire—that feral beast that she had so long refused to unleash—it pounded at the gate of her heart in frothy, primal, chaos.

But Ben's hands relinquished their hold on her, and the beast within cowed to her will once more.

He rose to his feet, solemn but suddenly composed.

"You were out for three days."

Rey frowned, her hand reflexively finding the bandage at her side. "What about the others? Did they escape?"

Ben shifted uncomfortably on his feet, "I think so. We were separated. I didn't get to follow up. I just knew I had to get you to the safest place possible, some place where the Light could give you strength. And I remembered what you told Snoke when he—"

"I see," she replied quickly, eager to snuff out the memories of Snoke's cruel torture that had led her to reveal the existence of the island.

"How long until we can regroup and catch up with the others?" she asked. "I'm on the mend now, so we can start to—"

"I'm afraid we're stranded here for the time being," he sighed, avoiding her eyes as he spoke.

"What? Why?"

"The power coils are shot on the ship I commandeered from J-Sec. I made the jump to get here, but they gave out shortly after we landed."

"Well, can I take a look at them? Maybe I can—"

"I spoke with one of the Caretakers. The villagers are going to be able to get us a new one in their next shipment, but it's still a few days out."

" _You_ spoke with the Caretakers?" Rey asked skeptically.

"Yes," Ben shrugged.

Rey chuckled softly, her hand jerking to her wounded side as her quiet laugh sent a fresh jolt of pain through her abdomen.

"What?" Ben raised an eyebrow defensively.

"I'm sorry," Rey replied with an apologetic grin. "Please don't misunderstand. I'm definitely concerned that we're marooned on a distant planet and separated from the Resistance, but the idea of you buddying up to the Caretakers is just..."

"No, truly. They've been very helpful. We get on well."

Rey laughed outright now, only to have it stifled by the searing pain from her fragile wound.

"Well," Rey continued, "at least they like one of us!"

A smile twitched at the corner of Ben's mouth as the realization struck him. "Are you saying there are creatures in this galaxy who are fond of me, but not of you?"

Rey shrugged, "So it seems."

A hint of a smile gleamed in Ben's eye, "First time for everything."

[Scene break]

Ben had protested when she insisted on leaving her quarters to see to the status of the ship, but she refused to sit idly in bed all day. And it wasn't as though she would be doing anything too physically demanding anyway. Moreover, she could feel herself siphoning strength from the Light as it quickened her healing process. Ben had been wise to bring her here to secure a swifter recovery.

Though she had passed the four days since she'd regained consciousness by tending to the ship, her evenings were spent in her quarters near the warmth of the hearth fire. Ben joined her for supper each evening, and he was always eagerly—almost overwhelmingly—attentive to her needs as she recovered; however, he did call upon the Caretakers to look after her when it came to demands of a more intimate nature. They had helped her to change out the bandages for her wound, and been present to give her some assistance when she dressed herself in the mornings. But all other aspects of her needs were assiduously attended to by Ben alone.

"More bread?" he held out a chunk of the wheat loaf he'd hauled in for their evening repast.

Rey shook her head.

Ben shrugged and tore off a piece of bread before thrusting a morsel into his mouth.

But for the crackle of the fire and sound of Rey's spoon scraping against the metal of her plate, they chewed on in silence.

"The shipment should arrive tomorrow, yes?" She asked at last, eager to disrupt the quiet.

Ben nodded his affirmation, eyes darting to the fire.

"Good," she replied. She reached for her cup, taking a long sip of her water as if to wash away the uncomfortable nature of the silence that had fallen over them.

It was the same scene every night; the two of them so close together, but him so far away.

In a way, it was almost farcical. They had been light years away from one another when the Force—when Snoke, really—had thrust their minds together. She had bared her soul to him, literally reached out to touch him from across the galaxy. Yet now, he sat beside her in silence, distant and removed.

She would not force him, though. If he was not yet prepared to speak of his mother's death, of the horror of the children he'd help to recruit, of Drusilla and her brother, of anything they'd encountered in that dark, hellish nightmare, it was not for her to nudge him. She sensed the shadow that loomed over him, of course. But he would speak of it when he was ready, on his own time.

She took a final swig from her cup as Ben started gathering the soiled dinner plates.

"Let me help clean up," she offered. She had made the same offer each evening before. And each time she had been greeted with the same reply.

"No, no. I've got it. Just get some rest, and I'll be back to check on you in the morning."

[Scene break]

Light flitted in through the window as her eyes opened to the steady rapping of knuckles at her door.

It could only be him, of course. Even if logic didn't dictate it, she sensed his presence all the same.

"Come in!"

He took a stride or two into the hut, dwarfing it as he always did against the sheer mass of his stature.

"I'm afraid I have bad news," his eyes shifted to the floor as he spoke.

Had some news of the Resistance come? Had the First Order— or whoever now remained of the Knights of Ren—learned of their location?

"What is it? What's happened?"

"The power coils...there was some kind of mix up."

"What do you mean?"

"They were supposed to arrive in the shipment this morning, but there's been a delay."

"For how long?" Rey sighed in frustration.

"At least another week."

"At _least_ a week?!" She sat up in bed now, bare shoulders exposed as the blankets pooled in her lap.

Ben's eyes grazed the curve of her neck for a brief moment before snapping back up to meet her gaze.

"Ben, that's too long! We have to get back to the Resistance! It's been too long already!"

"Well, Rey, there's nothing we can do," his voice was impatient now. "We'll simply have to wait here until we get the part we need."

She heaved an exasperated sigh. "All right. Well...it is what it is."

Ben nodded, turning to leave.

"Ben," Rey added, "thank you for taking care of that. I really do appreciate everything you've been doing."

A melancholy smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, "You're welcome."

[Scene break]

The Caretakers had come and gone after attending to her bandage, and she had done as much as she was going to be able to accomplish on the ship until the additional parts arrived. Moreover, she was finally feeling well enough to be comfortable walking the island a bit. Ben was nowhere in sight when she emerged from her hut, so despite the ominous clouds threatening to break forth overhead, she ventured out toward the village for a leisurely stroll on her own.

As the village came into view, Rey felt a surge of warmth rise within her. The last time she had seen this place, she was in the company of a legend. Although she had barely begun to know Master Skywalker, she missed him no less.

The village market was buzzing—no doubt due to the new shipment of products that had arrived earlier that morning. Rey wound through the various booths and tables set up in the village square, perusing the wares peddled by the eager, all-too-persistent vendors. The majority of them offered various imported foods, home goods, or clothing items for purchase, but at length, she stumbled across a seller with tech and transportation parts on display.

It was unlikely that the villager had the power coils she needed on hand, but he had an array of coxaium converters, EMPs of various sizes, and several hyperdrive thruster supports, so she deemed it worth her time to make inquiries.

The villager smiled as she approached.

"I don't suppose you have power coils for a hyperdrive-capable First Order transport?"

The seller frowned. "First Order transport equipment is hard to come by on the island. We would have to request it by name from our trading partners on Bantu-Doon."

Rey shrugged. "I understand. Worth a shot, though."

"How many will you need? And what are the dimensions you'll be requiring to fit your transport?"

"Actually, an order has already been placed. Guessing with another vendor, since you've not heard of it. I just stopped to see if you happened to have any on hand."

"Another vendor?"

Rey nodded.

"Are you sure, miss? I am the only seller of transport tech on the island, and I've not had any requests for First Order power coils special ordered."

"What?"

"I can place an order for you now, though. Can I have the coil specs and your name, miss?"

Rey gaped at him silently for a moment, stunned surprise sweeping over her in a wave of confusion.

"Miss…?"

"Uhh...no, thank you. I'll just...er...thank you for your help. Goodbye," she mumbled at last in reply.

How could this be? Ben had assured her that he had spoken with the Caretakers on their behalf. Had there been some miscommunication? Was it possible that the transport tech vendor was unaware of another seller on the island? It didn't make sense.

She had to get back to the huts and get things straightened out with Ben. Perhaps it was better to operate through the tech vendor directly and circumvent the Caretakers altogether. Too many parties in the mix can cause communication breakdowns. She and Ben could talk to the seller together and hopefully that would set it right.

As she trudged up the hill to look for Ben, she spotted the J-Sec ship from the corner of her eye.

She hadn't really thought about it before. Perhaps her eagerness to get back to the Resistance and the tragedy of Leia's death had clouded her mind, but something now struck her as strange. The ship was among the newer models. In her scavenging days, a find like that would've had top of the line parts worth several portions apiece- even on Unkar Plutt's stingiest day. It would be very peculiar indeed for the power coils on such a new transport to simply "give out" immediately after Ben's jump to hyperspace; more peculiar still was the notion that they'd require full replacement and be wholly beyond repair.

She hadn't bothered to check them before. She had taken Ben at his word. He had assured her that the power coils were in need of complete replacement. So she had attended to other aspects of the transport to ensure that, once the new coils arrived, they would have no further issues to delay their departure.

Rey darted to the ship, allowing her hand to glide over the hull until she grazed the hood to the coaxium compartment. Lifting it carefully, she inspected the power coils within.

Eyeing them, nothing stood out to her as unusual. Everything looked as it ought to from her vantage point. She reached her hand into the compartment and felt around the cylindrical form of the twin coils. No irregularities in the shape or composition stood out. They were smooth, symmetrical...everything in its place. Perhaps they really had just given out. Perhaps they were faulty parts from their initial installation.

On a whim, she let her fingers graze the bottom of the coil where it sat perched in the center of the coaxium compartment.

Softly, unexpectedly, her thumb grazed a sharp, jagged edge. Unable to see it from her angle, she jostled it a bit between her thumb and index finger. Something was wedged in the bottom of the coil. A small particle of some jetsam that had come loose in the compartment, perhaps?

With a final tug, she yanked it out. Holding it up to the light, she felt waves of hot, foamy anger pull her under in instant rage.

A tiny electromagnetic pulse generator. The undetectable EMP had kept the coaxium compartment from generating power to the ship. Finding it wedged clandestinely under the power coils could only mean one thing.

Ben had deceived her.

[Scene break]

The rain gushed from the sky in heaping, heavy droplets as she approached the huts. Ben's figure cut a tall, dark form at the hilltop as she drew nearer. He stood with one hand over his brow, shielding his eyes from the rain as he overlooked the horizon in her direction. He had been waiting for her.

"Rey!" He shouted over the thrum of the storm, "Rey, where were—"

Thoughtlessly, effortlessly, only inches from him now, her hand bolted out before her with a powerful thrust of Force-centric strength. Ben reeled back in surprise, but countered her blow with an equivalent maneuver to steady himself where he stood.

"LIAR!" Rey shouted through clenched teeth.

He made no attempt to deny her accusation, nor to feign ignorance of her implications. He only addressed her in a steady voice, "Rey, let me explain—"

"Did you think I wouldn't find out? That I was too stupid to realize what you'd done?"

"No, of course not. Please, just listen to—"

"What was your endgame anyway, hmm? To keep me stranded here? To kidnap me?"

"No, no. I just couldn't—"

"Did you think I'd be happy just sitting here? Passing the days doing nothing at all but—"

His voice boomed out over the clash of the thunder. "I COULDN'T LOSE YOU, REY!"

Stunned silence wound itself around her. Only now did she realize that his fingers had coiled 'round her own, gripping them tightly to his panting chest.

"What?" She replied at last.

"My mother is gone," he replied firmly. "She sacrificed herself to save me-to save us. All of us. And now she's gone."

"Ben," she breathed the words in a whisper, leaning into his hands as they clutched at hers in desperation.

"And…" a low tremble caked his voice, "and my...my father. Rey, my father."

Even masked beneath the cloak of the rain, his tears were perceptible. He spoke through broken sobs.

"My father, Rey! He's gone because I..I can never...I KILLED HIM, REY! I KILLED HIM!"

She hugged him to her now, so closely that she hardly knew where his body ended and hers began.

She buried her her head in his shoulder as warm tears fell from his cheeks, streaking through her hair; they mingled with the cold shards of rain blanketing them on all sides.

"He was trying to save me...He was…he believed in me and I…"

"Shhh...Ben,"

She felt his body relax, his trembling torso beginning to grow steady.

After a long pause, he heaved a deep sigh, and spoke in a gentle, even voice.

"Rey, my mother is dead. My father is dead. My uncle—I had no fondness for him—but he was my blood nevertheless. And they're gone. All of them-gone."

Rey raised her eyes to meet his. They peered back at her with an aching hunger that she knew all too well, for she harbored the same longing in the crevices of her own defiant heart.

"They're gone, Rey," he breathed. "I know I shouldn't have lied to you. I know it was wrong to keep you here when you so desperately wanted to go back. But I just couldn't stand to lose you, too."

"Ben, you're not going to lose me. I'm—"

His voice was soft, but she felt something within him roar in feral resolve as he spoke, "The Resistance. The galaxy. The First Order. All of it. They can't take you from me. I won't let them."

Wordlessly, achingly, she felt her lips part as if against her will and press themselves to the curve of his jaw.

Ben's eyes darted to hers, the question that had so long gone unanswered between them seemed to fold in on itself like a narrowing chasm.

She pressed another kiss to his cheek. Another to the far corner of his mouth: soft, warm, light.

All at once, her lips found his.

His thumb traced the outline of her chin as he pulled her to him, his mouth moving in synchronous tandem with her own. Desperation, longing, animalism; each ebbed and flowed in perfect equilibrium between his form and hers.

She was wholly wrapped in his arms now. Her legs secured around his waist, his hands bracing the underside of her thighs as he strode in smooth, eager glides to the doorway of her hut.

The narrow door flung open with a resounding _bang_ as Ben placed a gentle hand behind her head and lowered her supine body onto the crimson sheets of the bed.

With a flick of his fingers, he slammed the door shut behind them, and the fire-already burning within the hearth-roared to life, casting patchy flickers of light onto every corner of the small hut.

Rey's fingers gripped the wet cloth of his tunic, peeling the drenched fabric free from his now bare, heaving torso.

Ben traced the dip of her neck with the pads of his thumb to the curve of her collarbone, pawing for the hem of her blouse. He yanked it forcefully, tearing the strap from her shoulder so that it hung in limp tatters and pressing his mouth to the newly exposed skin.

The heat of his flesh throbbed in time with her own as the bulk of him pressed firmly against her, encircling her in an embrace of coursing muscle and sweat and skin. She felt her body tremble beneath him in eager, aching desire.

Once again, they were bound to each other alone; chaos and fire dancing together, whirling in unison, tangled in the crimson of the sheets. Their mingled bodies woven together, ablaze in pulsating swaths of heat, clung desperately, exhaustedly to one another.

And the fire blazed on through the secret hours of the night, until only the smoldering embers remained.


	18. Chapter 18

Wisps of buttery sunlight danced on the dew of the morning air, trickling in through the window of her small hut.

She watched his bare chest rise and fall in a slow, steady rhythm. The scars of his body-some that she had given him a lifetime ago-marred the perfect ivory flesh of his chiseled torso. She traced each swirling imperfection across the length of his skin. The tangible chronicle of their twisted, tender history weaved back and forth in jagged lines beneath the soft caress of her fingertips.

He didn't stir— likely too exhausted from the fervor of the night before. She hardly felt rested in full herself, but the overwhelming closeness of him kept her mind too entranced to allow sleep to come for her.

She withdrew her hand, letting it come to rest on the japor pendant draped around her collarbone.

"Don't stop," he breathed in a low whisper.

"I thought you were asleep," she replied, meeting his eye.

"I was...mostly."

He inched closer, placing a gentle kiss at the peak of her forehead.

"I haven't slept like that since..." his voice trailed off.

His eyes lingered on her, but she felt him looking beyond, as if groping for a distant memory that seemed just out of reach.

"Since before Kylo Ren," she answered.

He nodded, casting his gaze down in shame and regret.

"Ben," the tip of her finger again found the crevice of his scar. "You may bear the marks of Kylo Ren's deeds, but you are not that man anymore."

His eyes locked on to hers. "I haven't been Kylo Ren for some time now. Ever since I came to you on Mustafar, it's like I've been slowly moving toward myself—my true self."

"Even before then," she whispered back, curling her fingers around his.

"Each one of these scars is a reminder of what I've done. And I don't know how to live a life as Ben Solo without bearing the burden of Kylo Ren's sins. I have to live with that, Rey."

"You do," she answered. "And we'll discover what that life looks like together."

He cupped her face with his hand, fingers nestling into her hair. "If you want us to return to the Resistance, of course we can go. I was wrong to mislead you."

"We cannot abandon the cause now. It's your mother's legacy, Ben. Your father's, too, really."

"My grandparents' as well."

"Vader?" she asked, surprised.

"Anakin, more accurately. And my grandmother Padme. Her especially. She was adamantly in favor of democracy. She served as a senator after her term as Queen of Naboo."

"If I may," she replied cautiously, "what happened between them? How did your grandfather lose himself to the Dark side when he was so happy in love?"

Ben sighed, a sorrowful crease forming at the curve of his brow. "He feared that he would lose her as he had his mother. Palpatine promised my grandfather that the Dark side could give him the power to save his loved ones from death."

"But it didn't?"

"No," he shook his head. "His actions killed my grandmother, and alienated all those who had ever loved him. He'd have died alone and loveless without the intervention of my uncle. I'll give Luke that much, at least."

He fell silent for a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Ben."

"Don't be. The love of a woman may have driven my grandfather into darkness...but that same love has been my salvation."

His eyes softened, peering into her own as if willing himself to behold every piece of her.

"I'm in love with you, Rey."

"Since when?" she asked, suddenly curious.

He paused, brows furrowed in mild confusion.

"Of course, I know that you love me," she added. "But since when? That's the part I do not know."

"Just a moment. So, rather than voice your reciprocation for my affections, you want me to identify the precise instant when they took shape?"

Rey chuckled, "Ben, you can literally sense my feelings. You know that I do."

"Do what?"

"That I…" she hesitated.

"Go on. Say it," he coaxed.

"I...I _do_. It's just that I've never said it to anyone before."

"Well, neither have I."

"Ben," she turned her gaze away, and a shy smile tugged at her lips, "I was in the room last night. I know that wasn't your first time...your first…"

An amused chortle escaped Ben's mouth. "Ok, no. It wasn't my first time doing _that_. But it was the first time doing that with a woman I love."

"Drusilla?"

Ben shrugged, "And...others."

"I see," she replied, trying not to let a surge of envy pepper her voice.

"I didn't love them. And they certainly didn't love _me_ ," he asserted. "They loved my power, my prestige, my title, my familial legacy. I have experience with women like that. But you...it's different with you."

"Even so," she continued, lips trembling a she spoke, "you at least said those words to your parents when you were growing up. I never had a family to love in the first place."

And now he understood. He placed a warm hand at the curve of her face, stroking her cheek softly. "Rey, has anyone ever told you that they love you? Anyone at all?"

She took a deep breath, "Not until this morning."

He nodded slowly, and pressed a kiss against the silky slope of her shoulder.

"I love you," he whispered.

He breathed in again, moving his lips to the crest of her collarbone.

"I love you."

This time, his lips did not leave her skin, but traced themselves up the dip of her neck until they found the soft berth of her lips. He kissed her hard, drinking her in like a man discovering an oasis in a desolate desert.

"I love you," he declared again. "Since the moment I witnessed your courage under the trees on Takodana, I began loving you."

Silent tears trickled onto her pillow now.

"Since the moment..." her voice quavered a bit, "...the moment I saw a glimpse of Ben Solo. I saw you peeking out from behind the dark mask of Kylo Ren. I called you a monster a second time, but you didn't deny it. In that moment, I saw you as a man in pain; a man reaching out for someone—anyone—to hear him. That's when it began."

Ben put his arm around her until her head rested on his chest. His fingers combed the wild strands of her willowy hair.

The words came tumbling from her lips in a single breath, "I've been falling in love with you every moment since."

They lay motionless in intimate, connected silence, a sacred moment stretching out between them and binding them inexorably together.

"The Resistance," she said at last, casting her eyes upward to find his, "can have us tomorrow. For today, let's just have each other."

He nodded, and in a single, nimble motion, rolled her supple body underneath the solid mass of his own. She gasped as he overtook her; her gasps turned to rapturous cries, her rapture to exhaustion.

The late morning sunlight blanketed the whole of the tiny hut now. But Rey would sleep soundly all the same.


End file.
